A new investigation has discovered a history of unqualified bariatric procedures and inappropriate medical practices among surgeons at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, according to an article published in The New York Times. Journalists interviewed employees, patients, and executives at the hospital and reviewed internal documents, court filings, and medical records. In November 2023, they found that the hospital organized a fashion show in its basement to showcase patients who had undergone weight loss procedures and read testimonials of how their lives had been transformed. During the event, Nathan Link, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Bellevue Hospital, boasted that the institution was on track to perform a record 3,000 bariatric surgeries by the end of 2023, which netted the institution an estimated $34 million. Although the procedures can often reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and strokes, Bellevue Hospital’s bariatric program may have performed the operations on unqualified patients in an assembly-line fashion for the purpose of financial gain. To minimize the risk of lifelong side effects such as stomach cramps and acid reflux following bariatric surgery, patients are typically required to attempt at-home weight loss with diet and lifestyle changes and undergo months of rigorous screening prior to the procedures. However, Bellevue Hospital often forwent these requirements to hasten the surgical process. Journalists discovered that many patients were given surgery dates after attending just one informational session, filling out a worksheet, and meeting briefly with a physician who didn’t fully communicate the risks. Additionally, Bellevue Hospital performed inappropriate bariatric surgeries on patients with weights below the surgical qualification limit and incarcerated patients who were unable to maintain the necessary diets following the procedures. The journalists also reported on a litany of misconduct—including that two surgeons would compete to perform the most procedures in a day; that anesthesiologists would administer low doses of analgesic drugs to clear the operating rooms quickly; that equipment technicians were asked to step in as surgical assistants when the hospital was short staffed; that a team of surgeons mistakenly performed the procedure on a pregnant patient after neglecting to check records; and that more urgent surgeries, like stab wounds and broken bones, were often delayed in favor of bariatric surgery. Further, weight-loss procedures accounted for 20% of all operations performed at Bellevue Hospital in 2023. As a result of the higher volume of unnecessary bariatric surgeries, more patients have experienced complications like life-threatening infections, comas, ulcers, hernias, weight gain, malnutrition, and death.