I was shocked to open my mail the other day and find a flyer from Newton-Wellesley Hospital pushing bariatric surgery (stomach size reduction). This was not something suggested by my PCP (who is no longer affiliated with NWH) nor anything I’d ever sought information. In my view, it’s unethical inappropriate for our local hospital to be pushing elective surgery on people who have not had it recommended by their own healthcare providers.

How do other people feel about this?

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The flyer I got was not personalized in anyway. Either it was sent indiscriminately to NWH patients (which would be extremely inappropriate – imagine someone underweight getting this) – or recipients were selected by accessing data of NWH patients who are not yet patients of the center, which is completely inappropriate and might be a HIPAA violation. I know that I don’t meet guidelines for having this type of surgery.The flyer does not mention any weight loss options other than surgery.