Press Release
September 16, 2009
Auburn Memorial Hospital Bariatric Surgery
Center Receives Accreditation
The Fingerlakes Weight Loss Center at Auburn Memorial Hospital (AMH) 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 AMH has met the essential criteria that ensure it is fully capable of supporting a bariatric surgery care program and its institutional performance meets the requirements outlined by the ACS BSCN Accreditation Program.
Carl A. Weiss III, M.D., Ph.D., Surgical Director of the Fingerlakes Weight Loss Center at AMH, stated, “We are very pleased that AMH has achieved this distinction. This designation reflects a multidisciplinary approach to bariatric surgery and dedication to achieve the best possible results.” Dr. Weiss offers free informational sessions about bariatric surgery every Wednesday, 4pm to 5pm, in the AMH Auditorium. For more information, call 315-255-7544 or visit www.fingerlakesweightloss.com.
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 such as the Fingerlakes Weight Loss Center provide not only the hospital resources necessary for optimal care of morbidly obese patients, but also the support and resources to address the entire spectrum of care and needs of bariatric patients, from the prehospital phase through the postoperative care and treatment process.
There are four categories of accreditation for inpatient facilities (Level 1a, 1b, 2a and 2b). Each category has specific criteria that must be met by a facility seeking that level of accreditation. Each hospital undergoes an onsite verification by experienced bariatric surgeons, who review the center’s structure, process and quality of data using the ACS Bariatric Surgery Center Network Accreditation Program Manual as a guideline. Accredited bariatric surgery centers are required to report their bariatric surgery outcomes data to the “American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) or the College’s BSCN Database.
In the United States, 11 million people suffer from severe obesity and the numbers are increasing. Obesity increases the risks of morbidity and mortality because of the diseases and conditions commonly associated with it, such as type II diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Currently, weight-loss surgery provides the only effective, lasting relief from severe obesity.
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