Gastric Balloon

If you are struggling to achieve a healthy weight, the HMC Weight Management Program has a new solution: the Orbera^® weight loss balloon. Designed to manage portion control during a six month placement period, Orbera patients have been shown to lose 3X more weight than with diet and exercise alone. Under the expert care of Dr. Yannis Raftopoulos, Dr. Martin Walko and the HMC Weight Management Program team, weight loss patients now have another treatment option to help reach and maintain their healthy weight goals.

✔ FDA Approved
✔ Endoscopic Outpatient Treatment
✔ 6-Month Placement Period
✔ Non-Permanent
✔ Self-Pay Procedure
✔ Competitively Priced

Call the HMC Weight Management Program at (413) 535-4866 for additional information and to schedule a consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible for a gastric balloon?

Under current guidelines in the United States, candidates for a gastric balloon should have a body mass index (BMI—a weight-to-height ratio) of 30 to 40.

What gastric balloon does the HMC Weight Management Program offer?

The Holyoke Medical Center Weight Management Program now offers the ORBERA^® weight loss gastric balloon.

How much weight will I lose with a gastric balloon?

The amount of weight people lose with a gastric balloon varies for every person and depends on how well the patient follows the diet and exercise plan. Patients have been shown to lose 3 times more weight than with diet and exercise alone.

“A gastric balloon is designed to work together with lifestyle changes. It’s not a magic bullet where you put in a balloon and everything is perfect,” says Martin Walko, MD, a fellowship-trained bariatric and laparoscopic surgeon at the HMC Weight Management Program. “It’s used as part of a program that includes education, proper diet and increased activity.”

Having the balloon in place allows patients to firm up practices that will make the biggest difference in the long run. “New habits usually take about three months to become ingrained,” Dr. Walko says. “After six months with a balloon, people have well-established diet and exercise patterns that can help keep weight off.”

Is the gastric balloon procedure covered by insurance?

Insurance typically does not cover gastric balloons, making it a self-pay procedure. Holyoke Medical Center has competitively priced the procedure for patients in an effort to make it as accessible as possible for those suffering from obesity.