Bariatric & Metabolic Weight Loss

North Memorial Health Specialty Clinic - Robbinsdale Robbinsdale Medical Building
3366 Oakdale Ave. N
Suite 200
Robbinsdale, MN 55422
763-581-3762
763-581-3762

Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery

Weighing the Benefits

With bariatric weight loss surgery, it’s not just what you lose, but what you gain. For those who qualify for bariatric surgery, weight loss isn’t just about the numbers on the scale or the size on your clothes tags. It can help reduce the risk of other conditions or help you manage ones you may already have, such as Type 2 diabetes. Lose weight quickly and safely, create sustainable change in your life, and celebrate a healthier you.
Start Your Journey

Icon of a scale to represent weigh loss surgery

The North Memorial Health Advantage

  • We are an accredited Comprehensive Center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) because we meet the highest standards for customer safety and quality of care.
  • We work as a comprehensive care team to make sure you receive care for your whole self, with the support you need and deserve before, during, and after surgery.
  • Over the past four years, our bariatrics customers have lost an average of 72 pounds.
  • More than 90 percent of our customers with diabetes are able to reduce their medications, and of those, greater than 87 percent are in total remission after one year.
  • We offer minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery and robotic surgery. These options may help reduce discomfort after surgery and recovery time.
  • We help you determine not only what “healthy” specifically looks like to you, but also to create sustainable change, improving your overall quality of life.
  • We offer options for customers without insurance or those with limited insurance benefits.
  • We offer a monthly support group meeting to those in our program at all stages in their journey.
  • The Women’s Choice Award ranked North Memorial Health in the top nine percent of hospitals in Bariatrics in 2023. This recognition is unique in that it combines national accreditations, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey results and hospital outcome scores with primary research about women’s healthcare preferences.

Start Your Journey

Interested in beginning your weight loss journey? Start here.

 

Begin your weight loss surgery journey by watching this 30-minute video. The video will give you a clear understanding of the Bariatric and Metabolic weight loss surgery program offered at North Memorial Health, including the types of procedures available, the process leading up to the surgery and the lifestyle changes after the surgery.

 

To move to the next step in your weight loss surgery journey, you must view this video in its entirety. Once the video is complete, you will be asked to fill out a brief form notifying our care team to contact you to discuss next steps.

 

Conditions & Care Options

Learn more about your condition and how it may be treated at North Memorial Health.

List of Conditions

List of Services

Behavioral Health

Fitness Classes

Health & Wellness Education

Home Visit Follow-up

Nutrition Counseling

Monthly Support Group Meetings

List of Surgeries

Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass (Roux-en-Y)

Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy

Considerations and Requirements

Committing to a lifelong lifestyle change

Bariatric surgery is just one step on the journey to your health-related goals. It will help you feel full quicker, making it easier to eat less and allow you to rapidly lose weight in most cases.

You will need to be committed to a lifelong change in your lifestyle including eating a healthy diet, daily exercise, and daily vitamin supplementation.

Learn more about getting started with bariatric surgery.

Other special considerations and requirements:

  • Healthy enough for surgery.
  • Participate in long-term follow up care.
  • Good support system in family or friends.
  • No nicotine use or any inhalants for at least 8 weeks prior to surgery (prefer 6 months) and a commitment to lifelong abstinence.
  • No active chemical or alcohol dependency issues.
  • No planned pregnancy for two years, appropriate contraception to be used in the meantime, two methods being preferred.
  • If you have a history of cancer, this must be in remission and be cleared by your treating oncologist.
  • Prequalified by your insurance company.
  • Not currently experiencing organ failure or on an organ transplant waiting list.

Frequently Asked Questions

You must be older than 18 and in good enough health for surgery. You must also be willing to make long-term lifestyle changes.

The whole process to enroll in our program and have surgery generally takes three to six months, and may depend on your insurance coverage or what is needed to prepare you for surgery.

For insurance to cover your surgery, your BMI generally had to be greater than 40, or 35 with medically related conditions. We will review your insurance benefits with you prior to surgery.

This varies by insurance, and depends on your deductible.

In some cases, we offer financing for bariatric surgery. Call 763-581-4364 for more information.

The average patient may lose about 60 percent of their excess body weight with sleeve gastrectomy surgery and about 65 percent with gastric bypass. Your surgery is considered a success if you lose more than 50 percent of your excess body weight and keep it off.

Risk of death from bariatric surgery is less than 1 percent, and lower than that of other common surgeries, such as hip replacement. It's about the same as gallbladder surgery. Successful bariatric surgery can reduce your long-term risk of death, including being 90 percent less likely to die from diabetes, about 60 percent less likely to die of cancer-related death, and 50 percent less likely to die of heart disease. Your life expectancy may actually increase by about 7 to 10 years.

Any weight loss is difficult, whether it is diet and exercise alone, or undergoing bariatric surgery to help you lose weight. Obesity is a disease that makes losing weight difficult and can make weight-related conditions worse. Obesity is a chronic, progressive disease with genetic and environmental components. Surgery is the most durable and proven way to lose significant amounts of weight and keep it off.

It's much more complex than a drug or alcohol addiction. Unlike drugs or alcohol, food is a necessity. Obesity also causes changes that increase the risk of further weight gain.

Many times, weight loss surgery can put your Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea into remission—but it is complicated.

Results can vary from person to person. Consult with your surgeon regarding your weight-related medical conditions and how weight loss surgery can help you.

Most people are successful, as they lose more than 50 percent of their excess body weight and keep it off. Key in your success is dedication to a new lifestyle and follow-up with the bariatric program.

North Memorial Health offers medical weight loss through primary care. If you are unable to lose weight through medical management or if you have diabetes, sleep apnea, or GERD with a BMI > 35, your primary care provider may refer you to our surgical weight loss program.

Laboratory tests and imaging studies will depend on the patient. All patients need some blood tests. Some may need more tests. For example, people who take blood thinners may need additional lab testing. All women of child-bearing age will have a pregnancy test. Some people may have imaging tests such a gallbladder ultrasound, EGD (upper endoscopy), and colonoscopy. People who snore a lot and are drowsy during the day may need a sleep study to check for sleep apnea.

Laparoscopic or robotic: Once you are able to take one ounce every 15 minutes for a few hours and up ambulating independently, you will be evaluated for discharge.

Each person’s recovery is different, and the length of stay may vary depending on his or her needs.

Care Team

Our highly trained experts empower you with the knowledge and the support you need to get the healthcare you want.

Munyaradzi Chimukangara headshot

Munyaradzi Chimukangara, MD, FACS

General Surgery and Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery
I care for my customers and their medical concerns with compassion and integrity.
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Elizabeth Becker headshot

Elizabeth Becker, APRN/AGNP-C

Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery
I aim to help customers maintain or regain their health.
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Sarah Lippert headshot

Sarah Lippert, MD, FACS

General Surgery, Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery, Trauma
I enjoy being able to help people every day.
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Rachel Miller headshot

Rachel D. Miller, PA-C

Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery
My goal is to provide a quality experience that meets all of the customer's surgical needs.
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Jonathan Gipson headshot

Jonathan Gipson, MD, FACS

Trauma, Acute Care, General Surgery and Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery
I aim to step in and intervene in my patients' moments of greatest need to restore their health.
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Ryan Lehmann

Ryan Lehmann, RDN, LD

Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery
Everything in balance.
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Vishal Kudav

Vishal Kudav, MD

General Surgery and Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery
My patients are like family; their health and well-being are of utmost importance to me.
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Kelly Leier

Kelly Leier, RN, BSN

Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery
My passion is to help our customers achieve their best health through education and support.
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Lucian Panait

Lucian Panait, MD

General Surgery and Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery
My patients' needs and well-being matter most: we will work together to achieve best outcomes.
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Partnership Practices

Bhatti GI logo

Bhatti GI

Bhatti GI is a comprehensive weight loss practice offering medical, endoscopic and surgical solutions for patients who suffer from obesity and related illnesses.

Specialists in General Surgery

Specialists in General Surgery (SGS)

We provide the tools to help you be successful with surgical weight loss and guide you through the process before and after surgery. Providing bariatric surgery at North Memorial since 2014.