Christiana Care Designated As Bariatric Surgery Center Of Excellence

Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Article Date: 22 Sep 2007 - 18:00 PDT

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Christiana Care Health System announced that it has been named a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence® by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and Surgical Review Corporation. The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence designation recognizes surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery.

This accreditation for a three-year term means that Christiana Care, in conjunction with the surgeons of the Christiana Institute of Advanced Surgery, has met the required standards after a rigorous site visit by Surgical Review Corporation to review clinical practices, patient outcomes and facility compliance with American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery standards.

"Christiana Care works every day to provide our neighbors with the very best in health care," says Bob Laskowski, M.D., president and CEO of Christiana Care. "Center of Excellence designation speaks strongly to the success of our efforts. I thank all of my colleagues for their focus on excellence to improve the health of the patients we serve."

The number of bariatric surgeries has increased more than 1,000 percent from 16,000 procedures performed in 1992 to 170,000 performed in 2005, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Faced with clinical evidence that the most experienced and best-run bariatric surgery programs have by far the lowest rates of complications, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence program was created to recognize bariatric surgery centers that perform well and to help surgeons and hospitals continue to improve the quality and safety of care provided.

"We have an exemplary group of surgeons and an outstanding multidisciplinary team which offer patients state-of-the-science surgical therapy combined with comprehensive medical management," says Medical Director of Bariatric Surgery Michael B. Peters Jr., M.D. "Our status as an approved Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence is exciting because it means more people in our community will have access to life extending surgery and weight management education that meets national standards of excellence."

Surgical Review Corporation, an organization dedicated to pursuing surgical excellence, formulates and establishes the rigorous standards with which Christiana Care and other Centers of Excellence must comply, thoroughly inspects and evaluates each candidate for designation, and upon review recommends approval of designation for those physicians and facilities whose practices and outcomes meet the stringent demands set forth by Surgical Review Corporation for the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Obesity has become a significant national health issue, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that 66 percent of all U.S. adults are overweight or obese. Morbid obesity is closely correlated with a number of serious conditions that severely undermine the health of overweight patients, including heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Bariatric surgery, when performed correctly, can help obese patients manage these conditions. By definition, surgeons with American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence designations practice only top-quality care, ensuring efficacy of the procedure with each patient to the best of their abilities.

About Christiana Care Health System

Christiana Care Health System, which dates back to 1888, is one of the region's largest not-for profit health care providers, serving the people of Delaware as well as neighboring areas of Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. A teaching hospital, Christiana Care is recognized as a regional center for excellence in cardiology, cancer and women's health services, as well as Level-I trauma care and Level-3 neonatal intensive care (both highest capability). Christiana Care operates two hospitals, transitional care services, preventive medicine and rehabilitation services, a network of primary care physician offices and an extensive range of outpatient and home health services. Christiana Care provided $32.4 million of charity care last year.

About American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery is the largest society for this specialty in the world. Founded in 1983, foremost American surgeons have formed the society's leadership and have established an excellent organization with educational and support programs for surgeons and allied health professionals. The purpose of the society is to advance the art and science of bariatric surgery by continued encouragement of its members to: pursue investigations in both the clinic and the laboratory; interchange ideas, information and experience pertaining to bariatric surgery; promote guidelines for ethical patient selection and care; develop educational programs for physicians, paramedical persons, and lay people; and promote outcome studies and quality assurance. For more information about the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, please visit http://www.asmbs.org.

About Surgical Review Corporation

Surgical Review Corporation is an independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to surgical excellence. Surgical Review Corporation's mission is to promote the delivery of surgical care with the highest levels of efficacy, efficiency, and safety possible. For more information about Surgical Review Corporation or to download a Center of Excellence application, please visit http://www.surgicalreview.org.