SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HOSPITAL AT CULVER CITY ACHIEVES NATIONAL ACCREDITATION FOR BARIATRIC SURGERY

Southern California Hospital at Culver City’s Weight-Loss Surgery Program has been named an Accredited Center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), a joint program of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Southern California Hospital at Culver City’s bariatric surgical center has been named an Accredited Center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), a joint program of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

This means that residents in Culver City and surrounding communities seeking surgical treatment for severe obesity and its related conditions have a high-quality choice close by.

“This accreditation is an affirmation of the outstanding care provided by our surgeons, nurses and staff as well as their commitment to ensuring that every patient who comes to us for bariatric surgery receives the highest-quality, compassionate care,” said Dr. Brian Quebbemann, medical director of the weight-loss surgery program at Southern California Hospital at Culver City.

“We are proud of this prestigious accreditation earned by our weight-loss surgery program,” added Sean Fowler, hospital CEO. “It is another example of the quality of care we provide to residents of Culver City and our surrounding communities on a daily basis.”

The MBSAQIP Standards, outlined in the Resources for Optimal Care of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Patient 2014, ensure that bariatric surgical patients receive a multidisciplinary program, not just a surgical procedure, which improves patient outcomes and long-term success. The accredited center offers pre-operative and post-operative care designed specifically for their severely obese patients.

Commitment to Quality and Outcomes

Southern California Hospital at Culver City’s commitment to quality care begins with appropriately trained staff and the leadership surgeons who participate in meetings throughout the year to review its outcomes.  They seek continuous improvement to enhance the structure, process and outcomes of the center.

To earn the MBSAQIP designation, Southern California Hospital at Culver City met essential criteria for staffing, training and 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. The standards are specified in the MBSAQIP Resources for Optimal Care of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Patient 2014, published by the ACS and ASMBS.

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. Centers are awarded a specific designation depending on how many patients it serves annually, the type of procedures it provides, and whether it provides care for patients under age 18.

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.

To find a bariatric surgeon, click here.

*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.