Economic impact of bariatrics on a general surgery practice

Bariatric surgery is currently a rapidly growing subsection of general surgery, with exponential expansion over the past decade. Many residency programs lacked sufficient experience in bariatrics, necessitating established surgeons to consider re-training and re-vamping of their practice to enter the field. The addition of bariatric surgery to a general surgery practice can present economic consequences, which are both positive and negative. Positive consequences include a potential new revenue source with a large population base. Negative consequences include increased employees, required paper-work and office resources, increased malpractice premiums, difficulties with appropriate reimbursement, and limitations on access to appointment time for non-bariatric cases. This paper reviews the potential economic impact of bariatric surgery on a general surgery practice and possible alternatives to manage these efficiently.