This medical weight loss chain was founded by Dr.
Michael Kaplan, an inte4rnist on Long Island, NY who later got board
certified in bariatric medicine and made that the main focus of his
practice. Dr. Kaplan's business flourished since his patients mostly
paid for services out of pocket. He eventually expanded to open 3
centers on Long Island.
Sensing the demand, he began marketing and selling
the approach to other primary care doctors, for a $16,995 fee. The
venture has since expanded to include 77 centers in 16 states: AZ,
CA, CT, FL, GA, IL, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NY, PA, RI, TN, TX. The
greatest number of centers are located in California, Florida, New
York and New Jersey.
Doctors at each of the participating medical weight
loss clinics are claimed to be experts in the subjects of obesity, nutrition,
fitness, weight loss prescription medications, exercise, behavioral
modification, weight loss counseling, and weight related illness.
Exclusive Territories Sold
For an initial fee of $16,995, internists in Dr. Kaplan's
venture get a 2-day seminar in New York, where they learn the science behind
bariatrics and get suggestions on how to structure their centers.
They also get an exclusive territory in which to operate under
the center's brand. For an additional monthly membership fee of $3,095, Dr.
Kaplan's center will advertise (print, radio, and online) in that designated
area. Any calls to the center's national toll-free number, 1-800-MD-BE-THIN, are
automatically routed to participating doctors in the callers' geographic
location based on ZIP codes.
The doctors then basically create their own Center for Medical
Weight Loss within their practice, where they see their primary care patients
and then carve out hours to see new weight loss patients. Since Dr. Kaplan
launched his venture in September 2006, 60 centers have opened in 10 states.
The Program
The centers aim to treat people looking for both cosmetic and
medical weight loss, but the doctors are not bariatric surgeons.
Patients are typically put on low calorie diets of
shakes and nutrition bars and, in some cases,
prescription appetite suppressants. As they approach
their goal weight, they are eased back onto food.
Dr. Kaplan says patients initially have weekly
appointments and then often taper off, depending on
their progress. There's a big emphasis on counseling
patients on behavior modification and lifestyle
changes.
Three programs are offered...
Low-calorie program
One of the nutritional programs offered at The Center for Medical Weight Loss
is the medically prescribed low calorie diet program. These low-calorie diet
programs, prescribed only by physicians, utilize several nutrition-rich liquid
diets, high quality meal replacement formulas, protein bars and soups in
combination with comprehensive lifestyle education, including exercise and
counseling to help you lose weight, improve your health, and develop - and
maintain - the new skills and habits necessary to successfully manage your
weight in the future.
These programs utilize dietary products only available to physicians to
ensure a medically sound program, with complete nutrition necessary to maintain
optimum health.
Prescription drug program
Prescription drug medical weight loss programs
involve the use of FDA approved prescription diet pills to curb the
appetite and jump-start the weight loss process. It also involves an
individualized counseling and exercise component as a part of a
complete safe and healthy weight loss diet program.
Bariatric surgery program
Before recommending bariatric surgery as an option, your doctor will
undertake a thorough evaluation and examination to assess appropriateness of the
procedure.
In general, bariatric surgery is recommended for people who are at least 100
pounds overweight and have a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 40, or for those with a
BMI between 35 and 39 who show evidence of weight driven disease. It is also
critical that potential candidates are mentally capable of understanding the
risks inherent in this surgery.
Bariatric surgery, sometimes referred to as gastric bypass surgery, involves
surgical alterations to the stomach or small intestine so that significantly
less food can be consumed and fewer calories absorbed.
Once surgery is deemed an appropriate choice, your doctor will create an
individualized and comprehensive program involving pre-surgical care and
counseling, post-surgical care and counseling, and a regimen for on-going
success.
Costs
Patient costs will vary by doctor. Dr. Kaplan's
Practices charge $19 for an initial consult and fees for weight loss
plans range from $75 to $640 a month, depending on the patient's
needs. Dr. Kaplan suggest prices but the doctors are free to set
their own rates. For $640/month at the centers, a patient gets a
weekly weigh-in, counseling and food.
Commentary
This appears to be a well supervised medical
program. However, some critics questions whether brief seminars like
Dr. Kaplan's are sufficient training for doctors. They're not sure
two days is enough time to learn the information. Also, we question
whether these doctors are really knowledgeable about nutrition,
fitness, exercise, behavioral modification, and weight loss
counseling. These disciplines can't be learned in two days. If other
staff with these backgrounds (i.e. nurses, nutritionists, RDs) are
part of the doctor's office staff, fine, but as a potential client,
we would ask just who is providing these services. For example, who
does the day to day counseling?