Physicians and researchers at the Cleveland Clinic have voted weight-loss surgery as the top medical innovation for 2013, not for its effectiveness in reducing obesity but for its ability to control type 2 diabetes. 

People who reach 100 pounds or more above their ideal weight are almost never successful in losing weight and keeping it off for many years, says the clinic announcement. "Many diabetes experts now believe that weight-loss surgery should be offered much earlier as a reasonable treatment option for patients with poorly controlled diabetes—and not as a last resort."

Bariatric surgery was chosen as the top innovation "because Medicare has broadened its indication for payment, and Medicaid in many states follows Medicare," says Michael Roizen, MD, Cleveland Clinic chief wellness officer, in a Reuters News  article. "A lot of the other (private) insurance companies started covering it, so it's much more accessible."

The clinic's list of the best medical innovations for 2013 also includes an almond-size device implanted in the mouth to relieve severe headaches, a handheld scanner resembling a blow dryer that detects skin cancer, better mammography technology, and new drugs to treat advanced prostate cancer.

Physicians and researchers at the clinic voted for what they thought were the biggest, most significant innovations from the 250 ideas submitted from their colleagues. One of the main criteria for getting on the list is the number of people that the product or procedure can potentially help, says Reuters.