The UCSF Bariatric Surgery Center is accredited for weight-loss surgery by the Bariatric Surgery Center Network of the American College of Surgeons. We are accredited as a Level 1 center, meaning we provide complete bariatric surgical care, have a high volume of patients and have the expertise to manage the most challenging and complex conditions.
Our center is one of the few in the country that offers bariatric procedures to obese patients with end-stage kidney or liver disease, who would otherwise be exluded from an organ transplant because of weight. Procedures also are offered to treat conditions such as type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea.
Our team includes surgeons, internal medicine specialists, dietitians, nurses and clinical coordinators. We offer comprehensive evaluations before surgery and follow-up care after surgery including support groups, dietitian services and continuing education. We consider bariatric surgery a tool to help you live a healthier, longer life. The majority of our patients lose 50 to 70 percent of their excess weight during the year after surgery and maintain that loss. Eighty to 90 percent of patients experience an improvement or cure of obesity-associated diseases such as diabetes.
Your ultimate success, however, depends on your adherence to dietary, exercise and lifestyle changes after surgery. We want to help you succeed.
See a UCTV video of Dr. Jonathan Carter, who discusses Obesity in America — Diet, Drugs or Surgery.
Obesity is a complex and chronic disease with many causes. It's not simply a result of overeating. Research has shown that genetics often plays a role, particularly if you're morbidly obese. To help patients lose weight and maintain that weight loss, the UCSF Bariatric Surgery Center uses surgical techniques to treat morbid obesity when other efforts have failed.
There are several criteria to determine morbid obesity. One is being 50 to 100 percent more than your ideal body weight.
Another measure is being 100 pounds overweight or having a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more. BMI is a number based on both your height and weight that can help evaluate the degree to which you are overweight and assess your total body fat. Normal BMI is 20 to 25. Use our Body Mass Index Tool to check your BMI.
Obesity becomes "morbid" when it increases your risk for life-threatening conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and severe joint problems. In many cases, bariatric surgery is the most effective way to treat morbid obesity. Several bariatric procedures are available. The most common are "restrictive" procedures that reduce the stomach size and limit the calories you can consume.
Read more about preparing for bariatric surgery in the "Requirements" section below.
Appointment form is on UCSF Department of Surgery website.
Bariatric Surgery Center
400 Parnassus Ave., Sixth Floor, Room A-655
San Francisco, CA 94143-0338
Phone: (415) 353-2804
Fax: (415) 353-2505
Hours: Monday to Friday
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Before scheduling an appointment, please provide the following four items. Please mail the information to the Bariatric Surgery Center.
This clinic uses UCSF MyChart, an online patient service. Message your provider, request medication refills, view some test results and more.
To be considered for bariatric surgery, you must weigh less than 450 pounds. Our hospital X-ray equipment can't accommodate patients who weigh more. A nutritionist can help you lose weight to meet this requirement, if necessary.
To schedule an appointment at the UCSF Bariatric Surgery Center, please mail or fax the following items:
After receiving these documents, we will contact you to schedule your first appointment with one of our bariatric surgeons.
Prior to your appointment, please complete the expanded New Patient Medical History Questionnaire (eight pages). Mail or fax the completed form to the new patient coordinator at the UCSF Bariatric Surgery Center. Our fax number is (415) 353-2505.
The UCSF Bariatric Surgery Center has performed surgical weight-loss procedures since 1996. We offer comprehensive evaluations before surgery and follow-up care after surgery including support groups, dietitian services and continuing education.
Learn more about bariatric surgery and our UCSF experts by attending an information session on Wednesdays at 8 a.m. Sessions are held at:
Medical Office Building 1
(Ambulatory Care Center)
UCSF Medical Center
400 Parnassus Ave.
Sixth Floor, Room A-651
San Francisco, CA 94143-0338
Phone: (415) 353-2804
Fax: (415) 353-2505
To refer a patient to the UCSF Bariatric Surgery Center, we ask that primary care providers document the patient's previous attempts to lose weight and the need for surgery to treat morbid obesity.
This information, including copies of clinic progress notes, will be submitted to the patient's insurance company to help substantiate the need for bariatric surgery for possible insurance coverage.
Please provide the following information when referring a patient:
If you have any questions about referring a patient, please contact Christine Hong, new patient coordinator at the UCSF Bariatric Surgery Center, at (415) 353-2804.
