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Bariatric Resource Services for Employers

Offer cost-effective, quality-proven, weight-loss surgery.

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A life-changing journey

Optum® Bariatric Resource Services provides employee support through the entire continuum of care.

Obesity is a serious health concern

Obesity is a growing concern and a serious health problem in the United States. It may be affecting your employees, which results in higher costs for you.

42%

of adults in the United States are considered obese1

$173B

annual medical cost of obesity in the US2

41%

higher annual medical costs for obese adults2

89%

percentage of people with diabetes who are overweight or obese3

Obesity-related conditions include some of the leading causes of preventable death4

  • Type 2 diabetes 
  • Certain cancers
  • Heart disease
  • Stroke
  • Sleep apnea
  • Hypertension

Consider carving out benefits for complex medical conditions like bariatric surgery with Optum Bariatric Resource Services (BRS).

Optum BRS will enable you to reduce medical expenses associated with bariatric surgery. It also provides support for your members, their family members, and caregivers, increasing potential for success.

 

A multi-disciplinary approach

Optum Centers of Excellence (COE) and clinical nurse case management help lower total cost of care and support better outcomes. 
 

Centers of Excellence (COE)

  • Clinically superior compared to most non-COEs performing bariatric surgeries
  • Evaluated annually to ensure highest quality and best value:
    • Annual volume of surgeries
    • Number and experience of surgeons
    • Complications and mortality rate
    • Certifications
    • Length of program existence 
    • Multidisciplinary team
Diet Exercise Surgeon Behavioral health

Clinical nurse case management

  • Pre- and post-surgical telephonic clinical case management by dedicated BRS nursing staff
  • Provide education on the benefits of choosing a COE facility 
  • Provide post-surgical follow-up to ensure behavior/lifestyle modification and reduce complications
  • Specialized bariatric experience

   

39%

lower inpatient hospital readmission rate in at BRS COEs vs. non-COE providers5

31%

lower length of stay rate at BRS COEs compared to non-COE providers6

$3,092

lower average cost per surgical episode completed at a BRS COE7

100%

members in the program who indicated satisfaction with BRS clinical case managers and 82% indicate better health outcomes by working with the program8

Bariatric Resource Services

(PDF 159kb)

Bariatric surgery patient journey

(PDF 255kb)

Discover how to partner with Optum today

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  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adult Obesity Facts. Accessed November 2022.
  2. Ward ZJ, Bleich SN, Long MW, Gortmaker SL. Association of body mass index with health care expenditures in the United States by age and sex. Accessed April 2023. 
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Statistics Report 2020. Accessed November 2022.
  4. American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Accessed June 2018. 
  5. Crossman A. UHC Commercial Surgeries (2020). Cost expressed in episodic derived allowed.  
  6. Tauer J. 2016 Center of Excellence qualification analysis results, analyzed 2017.
  7. Optum Bariatric Resource Services Value Measurement. UHC commercial population including fully insured and ASO members. January 1, 2018 to December 1, 2020. Analyzed 2021.
  8. 2021 Optum Consumer Net Promoter Score survey results