BARIATRIC AND METABOLIC WEIGHT LOSS CENTER EARNS TOP-LEVEL ACCREDITATION FOR BARIATRIC SURGERY
Full Approval as a Comprehensive Bariatric Facility Granted to Stony Brook Medicine
STONY BROOK, NY, May 9, 2014 — Stony Brook Medicine today was granted full accreditation as a comprehensive bariatric facility by the new Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) of the American College of Surgeons and American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
MBSAQIP accreditation demonstrates our Bariatric and Metabolic Weight Loss Center's commitment to delivering the highest-quality care for bariatric surgery patients.
To earn MBSAQIP accreditation, Stony Brook University Hospital met the essential criteria that ensure its ability to support a bariatric surgical care program and measure up to the institutional performance requirements outlined by the MBSAQIP accreditation standards.
MBSAQIP accreditation is an important way to verify that a hospital has
everything needed for optimal care of bariatric surgery patients.
Accredited bariatric surgery centers provide both the hospital resources necessary for optimal care of morbidly obese patients and the support and resources necessary to address the entire spectrum of care and needs of bariatric patients, both pre- and post-operatively.
"We are very pleased to receive accreditation from the American College of Surgeons," says Aurora D. Pryor, MD, professor of surgery, and director of the Stony Brook Bariatric and Metabolic Weight Loss Center. "They were very impressed with our entire staff and the Stony Brook facilities. Our group should be commended for their team effort and attention to detail as acknowledged by the surveyor."
Dr. Pryor emphasizes, "Accreditation is an important way for patients to verify that a practice has access to all the key resources necessary for optimal care, and we are proud to be acknowledged here for our excellence at Stony Brook Medicine."
MBSAQIP is administered by the American College of Surgeons. In 2012, the college and the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery announced plans to combine their respective national bariatric surgery accreditation programs into a single unified program to achieve one national accreditation standard for bariatric surgery centers. This joint effort resulted in MBSAQIP, which is designed to achieve a single national accreditation standard for all bariatric surgery programs.
MBSAQIP accreditation is awarded in categories, each with its own criteria that must be met. Facilities undergo a site visit by an experienced bariatric surgeon, who reviews the facilities' structure, process, and data quality. Because optimal surgical care requires documentation using reliable outcomes measures, accredited bariatric surgery centers are required to report their outcomes data to the MBSAQIP Data Registry Platform.
Stony Brook Medicine received the highest level of accreditation possible
and is authorized to treat the most complex bariatric patients here.
In the United States, more than 15 million people suffer from severe obesity, 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 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, among other health risks. At present, weight loss surgery provides the only effective, lasting relief from severe obesity.
Therefore, the American College of Surgeons believes it is of utmost importance to extend its quality initiatives to accrediting bariatric surgery centers so that it can assist the public in identifying those facilities that provide optimal surgical care for patients who undergo this surgical procedure.
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. With more than 79,000 members, the college is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.
The American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery is the largest organization for metabolic and bariatric surgeons in the world. It is a not-for-profit organization that works to advance the art and science of metabolic and bariatric surgery, and is committed to educating medical professionals and the lay public about metabolic and bariatric surgery as an option for the treatment of morbid obesity, as well as the associated risks and benefits.
The society encourages its members to investigate and discover new advances in metabolic and bariatric surgery while maintaining a steady exchange of experiences and ideas that may lead to improved surgical outcomes for morbidly obese patients.
| Stony Brook Bariatric and Metabolic Weight Loss Center is approved for recognition as a MBSAQIP Accredited Center – Comprehensive Center with Adolescent Qualifications. Concerning bariatric surgery for children, Dr. Pryor says: "There is now no official lower age limit for surgery. We will assess each patient individually with our multidisciplinary team of pediatric, nutrition, psychology, and surgical specialists to make individualized treatment recommendations." |
For more information about the Stony Brook Bariatric and Metabolic Weight Loss Center, please call Christine Erickson, bariatric administrator, at 631-444-BARI (2274).