Adoption of telemedicine for obesity treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic achieved comparable outcomes to in-person visits.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, weight loss programs rapidly transitioned to a virtual model, replacing in-person clinic visits. We sought to compare the observed weight loss and adherence to treatment between patients referred for intensive behavioral therapy (IBT) who were treated via telemedicine and those treated in person.

Methods: After IRB approval, we conducted a retrospective observational study of patients referred for clinical bariatric IBT between January 2019 and June 2021 who were followed in person or via telemedicine.