Lutfi Forward

What Lutfi Forward does

Lutfi Forward, operating through the Chicago Institute of Advanced Bariatrics, is a physician-owned private bariatric and metabolic medicine practice founded by Dr. Rami Lutfi and headquartered at 2845 N Sheridan Rd in Chicago's Lincoln Park. The practice offers four minimally invasive laparoscopic surgical procedures — gastric sleeve, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, duodenal switch, and revisional bariatric surgery — performed in state-of-the-art operating rooms equipped for intra-operative endoscopy, alongside a Medical Weight Management Program that prescribes FDA-approved anti-obesity medications (Wegovy, Saxenda, Qysmia, Contrave, Phentermine) and provides dietitian-led lifestyle counseling. Patients are seen through in-person and virtual consultations (available within 24 hours), with a multidisciplinary care team including nurse practitioners, registered dietitians, a psychologist, and bilingual insurance verification specialists.

The practice serves individuals with obesity (typically BMI 40+, or 35+ with comorbidities) and also addresses revisional cases and lower-BMI patients seeking medication-assisted weight loss. Revenue is generated through insurance billing (Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, United Healthcare, Medicare, TriCare), self-pay surgical packages, bundled-payment arrangements via the Carrum Health Center of Excellence network, and recurring medical weight management visits. Distribution combines direct consultations, hospital-based surgery at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center (where Dr. Lutfi serves as Medical Director and Section Chief), broad in-network insurance coverage, employer channel access through Carrum Health, and community engagement via monthly support groups, webinars, and an educational content library. The practice also operates the first accredited bariatric surgery fellowship in Illinois, anchoring its position as a regional referral and training center.

Name

Lutfi Forward

Legal name

Lutfi Forward

Website

https://drlutfi.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lutfi Forward is a physician-owned Chicago bariatric and metabolic medicine practice offering minimally invasive weight-loss surgery, revisional procedures, and a Medical Weight Management Program with FDA-approved medications, serving obese and overweight patients via insurance, self-pay, and Carrum Health bundled payments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bariatric Surgery Services

NAICS

Offices of Physicians (62111), Freestanding Ambulatory Surgical and Emergency Centers (621493)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Obesity Medicine & Weight Management (HLAKADAL)

Keywords

• Bariatric surgery services
• Weight loss surgery
• Metabolic medicine programs
• Minimally invasive procedures
• Medical weight management

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Bariatric Surgical Procedures: One-time surgical procedures including Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve, Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass, Laparoscopic Duodenal Switch, and Revisional Bariatric Surgery. Revenue generated through insurance billing and self-pay packages.
2. Medical Weight Management: Ongoing medical weight management program with FDA-approved anti-obesity medications, dietitian consultations, and behavioral modification. Billed through insurance with affordable cash pay options available.
3. Pre and Post-operative Care: Comprehensive care including consultations, nutritional counseling, psychological support, and follow-up appointments bundled with surgical procedures

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lutfi Forward is a Chicago-based bariatric and metabolic medicine practice that sells minimally invasive weight loss surgical procedures (Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve, Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass, Laparoscopic Duodenal Switch, and Revisional Bariatric Surgery) along with a non-surgical Medical Weight Management Program. Services are delivered by a multidisciplinary team of bariatric surgeons, a nurse practitioner, registered dietitian, and insurance specialists, supported by virtual consultations, monthly support groups, and patient webinars. Surgical procedures are performed at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where Dr. Rami Lutfi serves as Medical Director and Section Chief.

Product overview

Lutfi Forward, operated by Dr. Rami Lutfi, is a comprehensive bariatric and metabolic medicine practice offering surgical and non-surgical weight loss solutions. The core offering consists of four main surgical procedures: Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve (Dr. Lutfi performed the first in Illinois), Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass, Laparoscopic Duodenal Switch, and Revisional Bariatric Surgery. These surgical services are supported by a Medical Weight Management Program providing FDA-approved anti-obesity medications, customized nutritional planning, and behavioral modification. The practice provides integrated support services including dietitian consultations, monthly support groups via Zoom, patient webinars, plastic surgery referrals, and insurance navigation assistance. Dr. Lutfi also founded the first accredited bariatric surgery fellowship program in Illinois, training future surgeons in the field.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lutfi Forward Support Group: Monthly bariatric support group held via Zoom for prospective and post-operative patients

Products and services

• Laparoscopic Gastric Sleeve A minimally invasive weight loss procedure in which approximately 80% of the stomach is removed to create a smaller tubular stomach pouch, limiting food intake. Performed laparoscopically with small incisions (4–5 small scars), reducing recovery time and complications versus open surgery. Intended for individuals struggling with obesity who meet surgical candidacy criteria.
• Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass A minimally invasive Roux-en-Y procedure that creates a small stomach pouch and reroutes the small intestine to limit food intake and reduce calorie absorption. Patients typically lose 60–80% of excess weight within two years. For individuals with obesity, including those with type 2 diabetes (80% remission within one week reported).
• Laparoscopic Duodenal Switch

Quantifiable outcome

• 60-80% excess weight loss within 2 years for gastric bypass patients
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccreditation partnership between American College of Surgeons (ACS) and American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) establishing unified national standards for bariatric surgery centers. Ensures centers maintain physical resources, human resources, and standards of practice.
• Carrum HealthcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDigital health company connecting employers and employees to Centers of Excellence (COEs) through comprehensive bundled payment arrangements. First company of its kind revolutionizing healthcare delivery. Dr. Lutfi serves on Carrum Health Medical Advisory Board.
• Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Lutfi serves as Medical Director and Section Chief of Metabolic Surgery and Weight Loss. Bariatric Surgery Fellowship Program Director at this hospital location.
• Vanderbilt University Medical CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Lutfi completed Clinical Fellowship in Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery and Research Fellowship in Foregut Disorders and Obesity at Vanderbilt University.
• Insurance ProviderscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAccepts most major insurance plans: Aetna, Blue Care Network, Blue Cross Blue Shield, CHAMPVA, Cigna, Coventry Health Plan, HFN, Humana, Independent Physicians, Presence Health Partners, United Healthcare, TriCare (US Military), Medicare.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Ro: Direct-to-patient digital health platform offering obesity care including GLP-1 prescriptions alongside primary and specialty care. Represents the emerging non-surgical, telehealth-first model competing for medical weight management patient volume.
• Calibrate: Metabolic health company combining clinician visits, GLP-1 prescribing, and lifestyle coaching for weight loss. Emerging player in medical weight management, directly overlapping Lutfi Forward's non-surgical program on FDA-approved anti-obesity medications.

Direct peers

• New York Bariatric Group: Private multi-surgeon bariatric and metabolic surgery practice in the New York metro area offering sleeve, bypass, revisional, and medical weight management. Closest analog in terms of private-practice, surgeon-led model and multidisciplinary care structure.

Broad incumbents

• Advocate Health Care: Large regional health system and parent of Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where Dr. Lutfi serves as Medical Director. Functions as both an operational partner (surgical venue, fellowship) and a potential system-level competitor in the Chicago market.
• Mayo Clinic Bariatric Surgery: National academic medical center with a multidisciplinary bariatric program across multiple campuses. Relevant peer due to its COE status, fellowship training, and integrated medical/surgical weight management offerings.
• Cleveland Clinic Bariatric & Metabolic Institute: National academic medical center running a high-volume bariatric surgery program with COE designation. Competes for patients willing to travel for premium bariatric care and sets clinical benchmarks for the specialty.
• Northwestern Medicine Bariatric Surgery Program: Academic medical center headquartered in Chicago offering a comprehensive bariatric and metabolic surgery program including sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, and revisional procedures. Direct regional competitor with broader hospital infrastructure and additional subspecialty coverage.
• Johns Hopkins Bayview Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: Academic bariatric surgery program within Johns Hopkins with COE designation, fellowship training, and both surgical and medical weight management. Comparable on the clinical/COE dimension though at far larger institutional scale.
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center Weight Loss Center: Academic bariatric and weight loss program where Dr. Lutfi completed his clinical and research fellowships. Strong training and clinical peer, and a direct source of credentialed fellowship-trained talent entering the bariatric workforce.
• HCA Florida Bariatric Surgery Centers: Bariatric surgery programs operated within HCA Healthcare, the largest U.S. for-profit hospital system. Relevant peer for benchmarking high-volume bariatric program operations, payer contracting scale, and COE replication strategy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LutfiForward
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmpXD_yiwZFExH5GWk16hTQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/LutfiForward
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chicago-institute-of-advanced-surgery
• Instagraminstagram.com/lutfiforward

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lutfi Forward