At a time when most doctors had solo practices, founding physicians – Frederick Freidman, Donald Garland, Arthur Garceau, Gerald Collins, and Wallace Kemp and Administrator Betty Allen – joined together to create an integrated group practice committed to providing comprehensive quality patient care.

For many patients, the decision to pursue weight loss surgery isn't an immediate one - it's a process that unfolds over the course of months or years. That was the case for Mark, who began looking at bariatric surgery many years ago. "I looked into it probably 10 or so years ago," he said. "At that...