Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1545572
HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JUNE 29, 2026 17 robotic techniques. Most patients spend only one or two nights in the hospital before returning home. Researchers are increasingly studying how GLP-1 drugs can be used before surgery, after surgery or alongside surgery to help patients maintain long-term weight loss. "There's never been a more exciting time to treat obesity," Tishler said. and bariatric surgery more than a decade ago, long before the current generation of GLP-1 medications became widely available. What started as a partnership between himself as a surgeon and Dr. Devika Umashanker, an obesity medicine specialist, has grown into a systemwide program involving physicians, advanced practitioners, dietitians, psychologists, exercise specialists and researchers. Tishler said the program over the past five years has grown from two board-certi- fied physicians and surgeons to eight. "We recognized that there was more to the care, that patients needed more," Tishler said. HHC's Comprehensive Weight Management Program treated just over 50,000 patients in 2025. Yale New Haven Health has taken a similar approach through its Center for Weight Management, where obesity medicine specialists and bariatric surgeons work together. Morton said YNHH has not seen its bariatric surgery volume go down. "Our volume has been quite steady," he said. The health system employs 10 obesity medicine specialists and has added four in the past two years, including a culinary medicine physician. The program sees about 1,000 bariatric patients annually and performs roughly 700 procedures each year, while another 750 patients receive medical weight-loss treatment. Both surgeons said bariatric surgery remains the most effective treatment for many patients with severe obesity. "Bariatric surgery was GLP-1 before GLP-1 was cool," Morton said. Patients with a body mass index (BMI) above 40 often achieve greater weight loss through surgery than through medication alone, he explained. Morton added that, to be a candi- date for surgery, patients need to have a BMI over 35 with a related medical problem, or over 40, while candidates for GLP-1 medications must have a BMI of 27 with a medical problem or a BMI over 30. "The vast majority of people who have obesity in this country — 90% — have a BMI that is less than 40," he said. The surgical procedure itself has also evolved significantly. Tishler said nearly all bariatric surgeries today are performed using minimally invasive laparoscopic or Connect with us today! 860-448-4295 NMLS #402928 With the assurance that we invest in smart tools, technology, and savvy team members to keep your business safe! ChelseaGroton.com/SafeBusiness We're here for you! A billboard on Interstate 91 southbound in Hartford promotes bariatric surgery as an alternative to GLP-1 medications. HBJ Photo | Dave Krechevsky NOMINATION DEADLINE: DECEMBER 10, 2026 HELP US RECOGNIZE THE OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS OF WOMEN LEADERS WHO ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE THROUGHOUT CONNECTICUT. SUBMIT A NOMINATION FOR HARTFORD BUSINESS JOURNAL'S 2027 WOMEN IN BUSINESS AWARDS! 2027 NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN! VISIT HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM/HBJ-NOMINATIONS FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS EVENT AND ALL HBJ AWARD EVENTS WITH OPEN NOMINATIONS