Physicians’ Specialty Hospital Bariatric Surgery Program Recognized As MBSAQIP Accredited Center
In 2014, the bariatric weight loss surgery program at Physicians’ Specialty Hospital was designated as a Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) Accredited Center by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and the American College of Surgeons (ASC). After a lengthy and rigorous review process, including demonstrating low complication rates from bariatric surgery, a committed long-term plan for follow-up care, data submissions, and outstanding patient outcomes, the ASMBS and the ACS designated the bariatric weight loss surgery program at Physicians’ Specialty Hospital and Roller Weight Loss as MBSAQIP Accredited Centers, the highest recognition given. Because this accreditation promotes safer outcomes for bariatric surgery patients, major insurance payers, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, endorse the performance of metabolic and bariatric surgery by surgeons and hospitals with this prestigious award. Physicians’ Specialty Hospital and Roller Weight Loss are also a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence (BSCOE). However, most insurance companies and the ASMBS ONLY recognize centers that are MBSAQIP accredited. This simply means more patients have the option of weight loss surgery (bariatric surgery) at Physicians’ Specialty Hospital because many insurance plans provide better coverage for bariatric surgery at a MBSAQIP accredited facility.
“I am truly honored, proud and excited to have been awarded this prestigious recognition,” said Dr. Josh Roller, one of the country’s leading bariatric surgeons, who has brought numerous innovative surgical techniques to Northwest Arkansas. Dr. Roller partnered with Physicians’ Specialty Hospital on 187 bariatric surgery cases in order to achieve accreditation. Dr. Roller has performed more than 1,000 bariatric surgeries with various hospitals nationwide. “It’s a testament to all of the hard work we all put in over the extensive review process that we were given this distinguished honor,” Dr. Roller said. “This status ensures that a designated bariatric care team is at the hospital, ready to welcome and offer care to patients who are considering weight loss surgery. Our program will continue to be held to the highest standards in patient care and outcomes.” This bodes well for the bariatric surgery program, as many chronically obese people will travel far in order to find a MBSAQIP accredited hospital, Dr. Roller said. “The typical bariatric patient has researched the process for at least a year before they seek out a surgeon,” Dr. Roller said. “They are very savvy about the procedure and they know that a MBSAQIP accredited hospital has met the highest standards of the highest governing body of bariatric surgery.”
Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP)
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) combined their respective national bariatric surgery accreditation programs into a single unified program to achieve one national accreditation standard for bariatric surgery centers, the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP). MBSAQIP works to advance safe, high-quality care for bariatric surgical patients through the accreditation of bariatric surgical centers. A bariatric surgical center achieves accreditation following a rigorous review process during which it proves that it can maintain certain physical resources, human resources, and standards of practice. All accredited centers report their outcomes to the MBSAQIP database.
