St. Luke's Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery

Obesity is a major health issue in America today. Two-thirds of all Americans are overweight or obese, and 1 in 20 is considered clinically severely obese or  “morbidly obese,” defined as being approximately 100 pounds over his or her ideal body weight. Morbid obesity is well-recognized to be a major cause of premature death and many serious medical conditions, including diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea syndrome, gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), infertility, and degenerative joint disease.

St. Luke’s Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery website is devoted to assisting people who are considering a surgical option to control morbid obesity. Whether to have bariatric, or weight loss, surgery is a difficult and life-changing decision – and it is a personal decision that needs to be carefully and well thought out.

A Designated Center of Excellence
Surgical Excellence Leads to National Recognition

The St. Luke’s Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery program is the only hospital based weight loss surgery and obesity treatment program of its kind in southern Idaho and the surrounding region, and was established to provide a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of this disease. The program combines the expertise and experience of W. Christian Oakley, MD – the first surgeon to perform minimally invasive (laparoscopic) weight loss surgery in Idaho, and who has performed more than 600 operations since 2001 – with specially trained bariatric nurses and operating room personnel from St. Luke’s, along with the special facilities and technology that bariatric surgery requires.

This team was recognized in 2006 as a Bariatric Surgery “Center of Excellence” by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS). This designation is awarded to programs with a proven track record of favorable outcomes for weight loss surgery and a comprehensive commitment to high quality bariatric care. The importance of the ASBS Center of Excellence designation was emphasized by the federal government in its Medicare national coverage determination in 2006, which ruled that Medicare patients could receive bariatric surgery only in ASBS Centers of Excellence. To earn a Center of Excellence designation, St. Luke’s underwent a site inspection during which all aspects of our program’s surgical processes were closely examined, and data on health outcomes was collected.

Our goal at St. Luke’s Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery is to bring the very best in weight loss surgery and obesity treatment to our region. We are totally committed to quality and excellence, with a focus on safety and the comfort of our patients. We take great pride in the effort we have made over the past six years to develop a culture that embraces a respect for the disease of obesity and those who live with it every day. In our approach to this disease, we place a strong emphasis on education, from the special training our staff receives in obesity treatment and bariatric surgery care, to the extensive educational programs we offer our patients to facilitate their best weight loss results.

We offer you the best mix of professionalism and caring: the small-town character that goes with the Boise community, and the expertise found at only the best institutions in the country – which is validated by our Center of Excellence designation. From the surgeon, to the specially trained surgery nursing staff, to the certified bariatric program coordinator, dietition, physical therapist, social worker, and operating room personnel, we strive every day for consistency and improvement.