Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative

A new partnership with physicians and hospitals is designed to make weight-reducing bariatric surgery safer and potentially less costly across the state.

All Michigan hospitals performing bariatric surgery have been invited by BCBSM to share information on procedures and outcomes in a data registry. The data will be used to help determine which practices produce the least risk, fewest complications and the best results while, at the same time, help reduce costs for these increasingly common and expensive procedures. Currently there appears to be wide variation in the ways this surgery is performed and how pre- and post-operative care is structured.

BCBSM is funding the project coordination, creation of a data registry and most data collection costs at the 22 hospitals participating in the project.