Duodenal Switch in Ontario

To find out if you qualify for bariatric surgery in Ontario see the list of Bariatric Surgery Criteria below.

To start the process you need a doctor to register you in the Ontario Bariatric Registery . Once registered you will be assessed by a surgeon from your assigned Regional Assessment and Treatment Centre. To our knowledge only one surgeon in Ontario is performing Duodenal Switch (DS) surgery. If the surgeon you have been assigned to does not, at your assessment you can ask for a referral to Dr. Dennis Hong at St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Hamilton to be evaluated for the DS.

Resources
Bariatric Services in Ontario
Ontario Bariatric Network
Ontario Bariatric Registery

Remember, if you do not meet the requirements for Duodenal Switch surgery coverage in Ontario you have the option to self-pay. There is a surgeon in Quebec, Dr. Gagner, and surgeons in the US and internationally that provide these services. Please make sure you thoroughly research your surgeon’s credentials and experience.

 

Bariatric Surgery Criteria

These are the criteria to qualify for bariatric surgery acccording the the Schedule of Benefits updated September 2011:

29. Bariatric surgery

S120 (gastric bypass or partition), S189 (intestinal bypass) and S114 (sleeve gastrectomy) are insured services only when all of the following four criteria are satisfied:

1. Presence of morbid obesity that has persisted for at least the preceding 2 years, defined as:
a. Body mass index (BMI) exceeding 40; or
b. BMI greater than 35 in conjunction with any of the following severe co-morbidities:
i. Coronary heart disease;
ii. Diabetes mellitus;
iii. Clinically significant obstructive sleep apnea (i.e. patient meets the criteria for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea); or
iv. Medically refractory hypertension (blood pressure greater than 140 mmHg systolic and/or 90 mmHg diastolic despite optimal medical management);

2. The patient’s bone growth is completed (18 years of age or documentation of completion of bone growth);

3. The patient has attempted weight loss in the past without successful long-term weight reduction; and

4. The patient must be recommended for the surgery by a multidisciplinary team at a Regional Assessment and Treatment Centre in Ontario.

Regional Assessment Treatment Centres

Windsor Regional Hospital 
Thunder Bay Hospital 
Sudbury Health Sciences North 
Kingston Hotel Dieu Hospital

 

Pediatric Regional Assessment and Treatment Centres

For children 12-17 yrs old.

Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) 
Hospital for Sick Children (STOMP Program)

 

Bariatric Centres of Excellence

1. Hamilton Bariatric Centre of Excellence
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton 
Hamilton Health Sciences Centre (Medical Site) 

2. University of Toronto Collaborative Bariatric Surgery Program 
Humber River Regional Hospital 
Toronto East General Hospital
St. Michael’s Hospital
St. Joseph’s Health Centre
The Hospital for Sick Children
University Health Network’s (Toronto Western Hospital)

3. Ottawa Bariatric Centre of Excellence 

4. Guelph Bariatric Centre of Excellence

 

Don’t Have a Family Doctor?

If you are trying to find a family doctor you can make use of Ontario Ministry of Health – Health Care Connect web site. This program helps Ontarians without a family health care provider find one.