MOUNT SINAI SURGERY ASSOCIATES
The Division of General Surgery
The Mount Sinai Hospital
New York, NY
(212) 241-3348
SAMPLE LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR BARIATRIC SURGERY
Date: __________
Scott Nguyen, MD
Department of Surgery
Mount Sinai Medical Center
5 E. 98th St 14th Floor Box 1259
New York, NY 10029
(212) 241-1483 Fax (212) 241-5979
Re: Patient Name: ____________
DOB: ____________
Dear Dr Nguyen:
This patient has been seen at this office since __________(Date), suffering from morbid obesity for several years. There have been several attempts at weight loss, on their own and under medical supervision. The weight has not significantly decreased as shown in the table below.
At the current weight of __________ lbs and height of __________, the Body Mass Index (BMI) is ___________ kg/m2. The patient also suffers from other major health problems due to severe obesity, such as __________(diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, sleep apnea, etc) requiring ongoing medical therapy.
The patient has been undergoing weight management in a medically supervised manner in my office over the past several months. This includes periodic visits with weigh-ins, education regarding diet and ongoing discussion regarding the importance of physical activity and exercise. Additionally, a consultation with a nutritionist has been performed. Additionally, we have counseled repeatedly on the risks of developing further co-morbid conditions due to the severe obesity.
We have monitored weights in the office over several months and they are as follows:
Date Weight (lbs)
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
As you can see from the above numbers, this patient has minimal success in weight loss efforts. Despite best efforts to comply with the program, the weight loss was not substantial enough to significantly improve health. At this time I strongly feel that a reasonable option is bariatric surgery.
Sincerely,
George Washington, MD