The Metabolic Health and Bariatric Surgery Center at Texas Children’s offers a multidisciplinary approach for weight loss and weight management needs. Our comprehensive medication and surgical pathways improve the health and lifestyle of our patients aged 12 to 20 years with a BMI of 35 or greater.
Specific qualifications for our weight loss/management programs include:
Medication Pathway for patients 12+ years:
BMI 35 or more
No bipolar or schizophrenia diagnoses
Surgical Pathway for patients 14+ years:
Private Insurance: BMI 35 or more with additional weight related comorbidity
Medicaid: BMI 40+
No bipolar or schizophrenia diagnoses
The partnering of the medication pathway with the surgical pathway gives another option to patients who either do not meet the bariatric surgery criteria or are not ready for weight loss surgery. Patients may transition between the pathways at any time during the program.
Both pathways offer a comprehensive evaluation, diagnostic testing, psychological screenings and assessments, and resource and support groups.
The medication pathway is a 12-month program with monthly appointments.
The surgical pathway is 6 to 9 months of monthly appointments in preparation for surgery. After surgery, we follow the patients for 4 years to ensure they are meeting nutritional requirements.
It is our goal to improve our patients’ quality of life and overall health, avoid premature death, and to avoid future chronic disease like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory problems. The Weight Loss Benefits table below lists improvements possible relative to percentage of weight lost.
Weight Loss Benefits
>2.5%
5-10%
>10%
>16%
Improved glucose control
Decreased triglycerides
Improved ovulation in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
