Surgical working group for adiposity therapy (CAADIP)

The surgical working group for adiposity therapy (Chirurgische Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Adipositastherapie – CAADIP) was founded by the chairmen of the DGCH and the DGAV on May 2, 2007 on the occasion of the 124th annual conference of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Chirurgie in Munich.

The aims and tasks of the working group are:

1. Development of surgical and interdisciplinary treatment of morbid obesity and its metabolic complications. 
2. Standardization, coordination and certification of education and training in the interventional treatment of morbid obesity and its metabolic complications. 
3. Certification of obesity surgery centers. 
4. Further development of guidelines and achievement of the AWMF standards.
5. Standardization and advancement of operation techniques (including NOTES and other new developments regarding metabolic surgical indications). 
6. Quality assurance, with the goal of a complete survey of adiposity-related surgical interventions in Germany. 
7. Inauguration and coordination of clinical studies.
8. Further development of the DRG and OPS systems for adiposity surgery. 
9. Involvement in the amendment of the GOÄ (medical fee schedule) in cooperation with the GOÄ-commission of the DGC (German Society of Surgery). 
10. Development of models for integrated maintenance and the DMP adiposity program. 
11. Participation in public relations for the prevention of obesity as a concern of the society as a whole. 
12. Representation of German interests in international societies (EU chapter of the IFSO, IFSO, EASO) and society journals (Obesity Surgery). 
13. Continued close collaborations and cooperation with other German, European and international societies, for example 
• CAE and CAMIC within the DGVS
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Chirurgie (DGCH)
• Berufsverband der Deutschen Chirurgen (BDC)
• Deutsche Adipositasgesellschaft (DAG)
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährungsmedizin (DEGEM)
14. Initiation and monitoring of scientific studies on the efficency of adiposity-related surgical measures. 
15. Intensive collaboration with all conservative cooperation partners in the treatment of obesity, psychologists, diatary specialists, diabetes experts, nutritionists and nurses specializing in "obesity". 
16. Public relations for spreading knowledge about the prevention of obesity and the possibilities of interventional adiposity therapy. 

Special committees have been formed to strategically address these aims and tasks. The committees can be accessed via the homepage. The committees were appointed at the 1st joint workshop of surgical societies (1. Gemeinsame Arbeitstagung der Chirurgischen Arbeitsgemeinschaften) during the annual DGAV conference, 12-15 September 2007, in Bochum. Colleagues interested in participating are requested to contact the steering committee.