Archive for the ‘Weight Loss Programs’ category

February 3, LA Times, Glenn Koenig

As a Los Angeles county resident, I’m used to seeing billboards promoting personal “improvement”, ranging from breast augmentations to laser hair removal.  However, I’ve never seen anything like the 1-800-GET-THIN ads that now occupy nearly every freeway billboard in Los Angeles.  Driving between LA and our office in Fullerton, I must see over a dozen of these ads.  They have also bought up the LA airwaves, so that every 10 minutes or so  my radio plays the catchy, “Let your newwwww life begin … call 1-800-GET-THIN!”

So who’s behind these ads?

According to a series of LA times articles here, here and here, the masterminds behind the 800-GET-THIN company are a pair of brothers with a history that should make anyone think twice about ever calling the 800 number.  From one article:

The people behind TopSurgeons are the Omidi brothers — Julian, whose medical license was revoked in 2009, and Michael, who was placed on three years’ probation for gross negligence in 2008,according to the Medical Board of California.  TopSurgeons attracts customers in part by pitching the lap-band to people who, according to conventional medical guidelines, shouldn’t need major surgery to shed weight.

The Omidis formerly operated the Wilshire Boulevard facility as the Almont Ambulatory Surgery Center. Almont lost an important federal certification last summer after inspectors determined that conditions there posed “immediate jeopardy to the health and safety” of patients. The government’s cancellation of the clinic’s certification, which was effective July 20, meant it could no longer receive payments from Medicare and Medicaid for treating the programs’ members.

According to the LA Times article, the Omidis were affiliated with another weight loss surgery center that occupied the same space as the current center, but which was shut down by authorities.  Some of the documented violations:

* The inspectors found unsanitary conditions in the surgical areas. Medications and supplies to treat complications from anesthesia were expired or missing, though 23 patients were waiting for surgery.

* Surgical instruments weren’t being properly disinfected. Medical supplies that were supposed to have been tossed after use on a single patient were being reused. Two employees had positive tests for tuberculosis, but there was no record that they got required follow-up chest X-rays.

* The crash cart, which carries equipment and supplies for cardiac emergencies, contained opened and expired drugs and supplies, including some more than 4 years old. Other drugs and supplies, including emergency drugs, were months or years past expiration. Filled and inadequately labeled syringes were found in the operating room. Most of the scrub sinks weren’t working.

* Patient records, which contain such confidential information as psychological exams, were left where unauthorized people could read them.

What’s the lesson?  Be suspicious of any health care company that seems to be spending more on advertising than patient care.   And no matter how catchy the jingle, don’t dial an 800 number until you’ve done some research on who is going to pick up the line.