The Bariatric Center of Kansas City: Our Team

The Bariatric Center of Kansas City is comprised of a comprehensive, multidisciplinary group of talented professionals whose goal is to provide surgical excellence within a compassionate atmosphere.

We are located in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, which is southwest of metropolitan Kansas City. The Bariatric Center of Kansas City is the largest laparoscopic weight loss surgery practice in the Kansas City area, with over 2000 procedures performed successfully since our inception in Fall of 2002. Our complication rates are far below the national averages with minimal operating times. Patients and insurance companies alike are pleased with our shortened length of stays, decreased pain and quick return-to-work averages.

Our surgeons trained with Dr. Alan Wittgrove and Dr.Wesley Clark at the Alvarado Clinic in San Diego. These gentlemen pioneered laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery more than 20 years ago, and have successfully performed literally thousands of surgeries since then. The Bariatric Center of Kansas City has modeled our program after their comprehensive approach, including pre-operative, post-operative, and intra-operative surgical care and techniques.

We perform both procedures at Shawnee Mission Medical Center, who has delivered hundreds of thousands of dollars in surgical technology in surgical equipment and peri-operative support to help make this a world class bariatric program. The hospital also provides a caring and experienced bariatric nurse coordinator and trained staff who help ensure that our patients’ hospital stays are safe and comfortable. Many efforts are underway at SMMC to meet high standards set by the industry and we are well on our way to becoming a Bariatric Center of Excellence.

We also perform the LapBand® procedure at Heartland Spine and Specialty Hospital, a new state-of-the-art facility in Overland Park, Kansas that combines optimal, individualized care with flexible insurance and financing arrangements.

Our multidisciplinary program includes community seminars presented by our surgeons, a dedicated program coordinator, and a specialized nursing staff both in our clinic and in the hospital. We require complete physical and psychological evaluation of each patient preoperatively to help ensure their safety and success. We offer lifelong support to our patients through our twice monthly support groups, community activities, peer mentoring program, consistent follow-up care, one-on-one counseling with clinicians, and an on-line forum.

We care about you as an individual and do our best to help you meet your weight loss goals.