Heads Up! OGB weight loss program calls for more applicants
Members enrolled in one of OGB’s Magnolia plans (comparable to the 2014 HMO and PPO options) may be eligible to participate in an OGB weight loss program now being conducted by Pennington Biomedical Research Center. The program, called
Heads Up, is designed for members who are severely overweight and suffering weight-related health problems. It can include a surgery component as well as a medically managed diet and lifestyle changes component.
There are weight loss clinics currently open in Lake Charles, Shreveport, Lafayette and Covington, in addition to the Pennington Center in Baton Rouge. Additional sites are scheduled to open soon in New Orleans and Monroe.
To participate, you must consent to treatment and to have your medical information studied in an observational research study. The majority of the costs for both the surgery program and the medically managed weight loss program will be covered by your OGB health plan.
If you decide to take part and are eligible based on your weight and medical condition, you could be selected to participate in either of the two programs. The selection process is determined by a lottery drawing as well as your preference for weight loss surgery or medically managed treatment that focuses on diet and lifestyle changes.
The medically managed weight loss component uses meal replacements, strategies designed to change eating habits and increased physical activity to aid weight loss. Participants will be required to adhere to a liquid low calorie diet for up to four months and participate in a group lifestyle change program. We have clinics open in Lake Charles, Shreveport, Lafayette, Baton Rouge and Covington, and two more clinics opening soon in New Orleans and Monroe. Current PPO and HMO members switching to Pelican HSA and Pelican HRA plans in 2015 will still be eligible to participate in the intensive medical treatment component of Heads Up
The bariatric surgery component involves surgically altering the stomach. Participants interested in the surgery program will have at least two screening evaluation visits at Pennington in Baton Rouge. These tests will decide if surgery can be performed safely. A panel of experts will review the medical records and tests of all potential surgery candidates and decide who is eligible for the Surgery Program. There are three sites across Louisiana currently performing the surgeries. After surgery, participants will return to Pennington in 6 months, and then annually for up to five years. Current PPO and HMO members switching to Pelican HSA and Pelican HRA plans in 2015 will NOT be eligible to participate in the surgical component of Heads Up.
The study will test the effectiveness of these two weight-loss methods to inform OGB about ways to better manage the health problems caused by obesity. If you’re interested in participating, visit the
Heads Up program website
for details about the program, including informational videos describing weight loss surgery and intensive medical treatment for obesity. You can also complete a short online questionnaire to see if you are eligible to start the screening process.
If you have already completed the web screening in response to the earlier mail-out and have not been selected by a lottery, we have your information on file. You are still in the Heads Up database and do not need to complete the questionnaire again. If you were chosen by one of the earlier lotteries and screened for surgery, you are not eligible to try again. OGB and Pennington Biomedical have worked hard to ensure that all eligible members have an equal chance of being selected. Program participants will be selected based on where they live through a series of lottery drawings for each area of the state. This means everyone has an equal chance of being chosen to participate. If you are not interested in this program, but may be interested in other research studies, visit the Pennington website at
www.pbrc.edu.
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