SOLUTIONS SURGICAL WEIGHT LOSS CENTER RECEIVES ACCREDITATION FROM THE ACS BARIATRIC SURGERY CENTER NETWORK

APRIL, 16, 2009 —John Marshall, CEO at Horizon Medical Center is pleased to announce that the Solutions Surgical Weight Loss Center at  Horizon Medical Center has been accredited as a Level  2b  facility by the Bariatric Surgery Center Network (BSCN) Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS).  This designation means that Solutions has met the essential criteria that ensure it is fully capable of supporting a bariatric surgery care program and that its institutional performance meets the requirements outlined by the ACS BSCN Accreditation Program. For a Level 2b facility

Established by the American College of Surgeons in 2005 in an effort to extend established quality improvement practices to all disciplines of surgical care, the ACS BSCN Accreditation Program provides confirmation that a bariatric surgery center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality care for its bariatric surgery patients.  Accredited bariatric surgery centers provide not only the hospital resources necessary for optimal care f morbidly obese patients, but also the support and resources that are necessary to address the entire spectrum of care and needs of bariatric patients, from the prehospital phase through the postoperative care and treatment process. 

John Marshall, CEO at Horizon Medical Center, said “I am so proud of our Solutions team; Marcia Williams, R.N., Program Coordinator, Angie Cochran, registered dietician, and Jody Bear, physical therapist  A special thank you to surgeon Dr. Gus Huerta and Horizon’s surgical staff for maintaining high standards of care “.

Stephanie Mallonee a recent gastric by-pass surgery patient was excited to hear the news of the accreditation. She said, “I am very proud and fortunate to have had the best group of people surrounding me through my journey and now they are being recognized for the center of excellence that I always knew they were.”

There are four categories of accreditation for inpatient facilities (Level 1a, 1b, 2a, and 2b) and one level for outpatient surgical care facilities.  Each category has specific criteria that must be met by a facility seeking that level of accreditation.  Each hospital undergoes onsite verification by experienced bariatric surgeons, who review the center’s structure, process, and quality of data using the current ACS Bariatric Surgery Center Network Accreditation Program Manual as a guideline in conducting the survey.  Because high-quality surgical care requires documentation using reliable measurements of outcomes, accredited bariatric surgery centers are required to report their bariatric surgery outcomes data either to the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) or the College’s BSCN Database, using a Web-based data entry system.

In the United States, more than 11 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 II diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, among other health risks.  At the present time, weight-loss surgery provides the only effective, lasting relief from severe obesity.  Therefore, the ACS 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 care of 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 74,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.