Variation in bariatric surgery utilization by state from 2010 to 2019: analysis of the PearlDiver Mariner database

Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for severe obesity and its associated complications, but it remains underutilized. The degree to which bariatric surgery utilization varies by state is unclear.

The aim of this study was to quantify variation in bariatric surgery utilization across U.S. states.

United States.

Patients who underwent sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass and patients with body mass index (BMI) >40 or BMI >35 with comorbidities between 2010 and 2019 were identified with Current Procedural Terminology, International Classification of Diseases-9 and -10 codes using the PearlDiver Mariner insurance claims database. Patients living in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories were excluded.

A total of 99,173 bariatric surgery patients were identified out of 1,789,457 patients eligible for bariatric surgery between 2010 and 2019 (5.5%). Bariatric surgery patients were more likely to be female (78.8% versus 65.6%) and have commercial insurance (81.4% versus 69.6%) compared with eligible patients who did not undergo bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery utilization varied widely between states, from 10.4% in New Jersey to 2.1% in Vermont. The Northeast region had the highest rates at 7.95%, and the Midwest had the lowest at 4.47%. The proportion of bariatric surgeries that were sleeve gastrectomies also varied from <30% in Alaska, North Dakota, and Rhode Island to >80% in New Jersey, Nevada, and Mississippi.

There is significant variation in bariatric surgery utilization between states, with almost a 5-fold difference between the states with the highest and lowest utilization.