Weight Loss
United Regional’s weight loss and bariatric services help you achieve your goals through surgical and non-surgical techniques.
Choose United Regional’s Weight Loss/Bariatric Services
If you have received weight loss surgery elsewhere, and it has not met your expectations, our providers welcome you to schedule a consultation. No referral is necessary. Qualifications for weight loss surgery can vary by individual. To see if you qualify, please call 940-764-5400 for a consultation.
United Regional Weight Loss Techniques and Procedures
United Regional offers several methods of assisted weight loss including:
- Injections via GLP-1 receptor agonists semaglutide and tirzepatide administration
- Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy
- Laparoscopic gastric bypass
Services with United Regional also include nutrition and exercise counseling and support groups to help you lose weight safely — and keep it off.
Surgical Weight Loss Services
Surgery for clinically severe obesity has been endorsed by leading medical organizations including The National Institutes of Health, The American Medical Association, The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and American Association of Family Practitioners.
Through laparoscopic weight loss surgery, patients can expect:
- Less post-op pain and faster mobility, as compared to open surgery
- Significantly reduced incidence of wound complications
- Short hospital stay (one to two days)
- Patients typically return to work in one to two weeks
We offer a specialized hospital unit with staff dedicated to the care of weight loss surgery patients – right here in Wichita Falls.
Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP)
In 2024, United Regional’s Bariatric Surgery Center received re-accreditation from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP). Accredited Centers participate in a rigorous evaluation process that documents the comprehensiveness of the program and meets established program requirements for providing safe bariatric surgical care with excellent short- and long-term outcomes.
A Team Approach to Weight Loss
United Regional’s bariatric team works to treat your weight-loss journey comprehensively.
Christopher Finnell, MD, has been a practicing bariatric surgeon in Wichita Falls since 2008 and is the director of United Regional’s Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program center of excellence. He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and is an active member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. He chose to enter bariatrics to remedy the negative health effects of obesity and feels rewarded to make such a positive impact on a patient’s life.
Our health team also includes board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner Emily Rusk who offers access to medical weight loss injections as a non-surgical option. These options mimic the glucagon-like peptide 1 hormone which aids in the body’s regulation of blood sugar and slows digestion for an increased feeling of fullness.
To make an appointment for a free consultation, please call 940-264-2600.
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