Bariatric Program Reaches Major Milestone With 50th Robotic Procedure

Bayfront Health (May 19, 2023)– The Bayfront Health Weight Loss and Bariatric Surgery Institute, recently celebrated a major milestone that demonstrates the hospital’s continued commitment of providing world class care to the Tampa Bay region.

Dr. Alexander Ramirez, MD completed his 50^th robotic bariatric surgery recently. This number is the threshold for applying to become a Center of Excellence with the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program through the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Ramirez uses an innovative approach to bariatric surgery, with just three small incisions that result in less patient discomfort and shorter recovery times. He is certified by the Surgical Review Corporation as a Master Surgeon in Robotic Surgery and Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery.

“The Bayfront Health Weight Loss and Bariatric Surgery Institute’s approach to changing lives through less invasive techniques with bariatric surgery has enhanced the patient experience and led to successful outcomes that help people recover quicker,” said Dr. Trina Espinola, Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, Chief Medical Officer. “Our goal of becoming a Center of Excellence, will set Bayfront Health St. Petersburg on a path to becoming the premiere destination in the Tampa Bay region for people looking at less invasive bariatric surgery as an option for their health and weight loss goals.”

As a board-certified bariatric surgeon, Dr. Ramirez has published more than 45 articles on various bariatric and surgical topics in peer-reviewed journals. He earned his medical degree at the University of Cartagena in Colombia and completed his residency in General Surgery at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens in Flushing, NY. Dr. Ramirez also completed

a fellowship in Minimally Invasive Surgery and Bariatric Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Florida. He is fluent in both English and Spanish.

About Bayfront Health

The 480-bed Bayfront Health St. Petersburg was founded in 1910. It was acquired October 1, 2020 by Orlando Health, a not-for-profit healthcare organization with $8.1 billion of assets under management. The hospital’s areas of clinical excellence include heart and vascular, surgical services, rehabilitation services, neurosciences, maternity care and – as home to the only state-accredited Level Two Adult Trauma Center in the St. Petersburg region – emergency services and trauma care.

Bayfront Health St. Petersburg is integral to the 3,238-bed Orlando Health system that includes 23 hospitals and emergency departments – 18 of which are currently operational with five coming soon. The system also includes nine specialty institutes, more than 100 adult and pediatric primary care practices, skilled nursing facilities, an in-patient behavioral health facility under the management of Acadia Healthcare, and more than 60 outpatient facilities that include imaging and laboratory services, wound care centers, home healthcare services in partnership with LHC Group, and urgent care centers in partnership with FastMed Urgent Care. More than 4,000 physicians, representing more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties have privileges across the Orlando Health system, which employs more than 25,000 team members and more than 1,200 physicians.

Orlando Health’s Graduate Medical Education (GME) program hosts more than 350 residents and fellows including more than 40 who are enrolled at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg’s OB/GYN, Family Medicine, Sports Medicine and Pharmacy programs.

In FY22, Orlando Health served nearly 142,000 inpatients and 3.9 million outpatients. The healthcare system provided more than $782 million in total value to the communities it serves in the form of charity care, community benefit programs and services, community building activities and more in FY 21, the most recent period for which this information is available. Additional information can be found at http://www.orlandohealth.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @orlandohealth.