IMPORTANT: The Bariatric Registry is intended for referral of ELECTIVE Patients ONLY. Referrals sent through this registry portal will be processed for elective surgical procedures and/or for medical assessment and treatment of their chronic weight problems. In cases where the patient requires urgent medical/surgical attention, the referring physician should contact the nearest hospital directly.
NOTE: For Ontario resident patients who have had bariatric surgery out-of-country, please contact your Ontario-based referring physician for continued follow-up care and nutritional guidance.
Obesity rates in Ontario are higher than they have ever been, with over 150,000 people eligible for intervention, and more than 3000 people per year actively seeking treatment for their condition.
In 2009, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) committed an additional $75 million over the next three years towards the development of comprehensive Bariatric Centres of Excellence in Ontario, increasing treatment capacity by over 750%. (
See news release).
The aim of the Ontario-based Bariatric Registry project is to improve the care of the obese patient and increase the effectiveness of health care dollars. This will be done through the creation of a centralized referral process, to collect standard referral data on all patients, and direct their referral to their nearest bariatric centre. The registry will also involve a patient database for collecting standardized information on patients undergoing bariatric surgery at the participating clinical Bariatric Centers in Ontario. This information will be used to increase the effectiveness of care and help to reduce duplication of treatment and the need to send patients out-of-country for care.
Bariatric Registry patient database collect comprehensive clinical data throughout the treatment process, including demographics, treatment method, weight loss success, physical and psychological improvements, complications, and quality of life. Patients will be followed until September 2012, and potentially longer if additional funding/support is received.
The Bariatric Registry will help to identify new risks and assist in developing strategies to address them, inform decision makers, ensure patients’ safety, and identify practices and health services areas that require optimization and improvement. The creation of a Bariatric Registry supports the MOHLTC Bariatric Strategy and will help to achieve the goal of more efficient patient treatment.
Importantly, the registry will also be used to generate testable hypotheses for research studies on the etiology, management, efficacy, health economics and health services impact of severe obesity.