Lutheran's weight loss surgery program achieves national accreditation
12/19/2017
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Dec. 20, 2017) - Patients in northeastern Indiana seeking surgical treatment for severe obesity and its related conditions have easy access to a nationally accredited program that meets the highest standards for patient safety and quality of care.
Dale Sloan, M.D., surgical medical director of the Lutheran Bariatric Center, today announced Lutheran's weight loss surgery program has been reaccredited as a Comprehensive Center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program®, a joint program of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. The Lutheran Bariatric Center was first recognized as an accredited center of excellence in 2008.
"Surgery is one of a series of important steps we take with our patients to help them achieve results that are lasting," said Sloan. "Since 2005, our program has helped more than 1,500 people before, during and after they've visited the operating room better understand how to combat the disease of obesity. The ongoing journey for patients and program alike remains transformative."
The MBSAQIP standards, outlined in Resources for Optimal Care of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Patient 2016, ensure that bariatric surgical patients receive a multidisciplinary program, not just a surgical procedure, which improves patient outcomes and long-term success.
Lutheran's accredited center offers preoperative and postoperative care designed specifically for their severely obese patients. The program's commitment to quality care begins with appropriately trained staff and engaged leadership who participate in meetings throughout the year to review outcomes. They seek continuous improvement to enhance the structure, process and outcomes of the center.
To earn the MBSAQIP designation, the Lutheran Bariatric Center met essential criteria for staffing, training, facility infrastructure and protocols for care, ensuring its ability to support patients with severe obesity. The center also participates in a national data registry that yields semiannual reports on the quality of its processes and outcomes, identifying opportunities for continuous quality improvement.
After submitting an application, centers seeking MBSAQIP Accreditation undergo an extensive site visit by an experienced bariatric surgeon, who reviews the center's structure, process, and clinical outcomes data.
In the United States, around 15.5 million people suffer from severe obesity, according to the National Institutes of Health, and the numbers continue to increase. Obesity increases the risks of morbidity and mortality because of the diseases and conditions that are commonly associated with it, such as type II diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, among other health risks. Metabolic and bariatric surgical procedures have proven to be effective in the reduction of comorbid conditions related to severe obesity.* Working with ASMBS, the ACS expanded this quality program for bariatric surgery centers so that it can assist bariatric patients in identifying those centers that provide optimal surgical care.
*Buchwald H, Avidor Y, Braunwald E, et al. Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA. 2004;292(14):1724-1737. DOI:10.1001/jama.292.14.1724.
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About the American College of Surgeons
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical education and practice and to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient. Its achievements have placed it at the forefront of American surgery and have made the College an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 80,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.
About the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, founded in 1983, was formed to advance the art and science of metabolic and bariatric surgery by continually improving the quality and safety of care and treatment of people with obesity and related diseases through educational and support programs for surgeons and integrated health professionals.
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