Obesity Surgery Center at VCU Medical Center deemed excellent by national independent review board

By Joe Kuttenkuler

The Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center’s Obesity Surgery Center has been designated a Bariatric Center of Excellence by the Surgical Review Corp., an independent company made up of surgeons and other industry professionals.

 

“The center of excellence initiative ultimately will improve care across the board for patients,” said James Maher, M.D., director of VCU’s Obesity Surgery Center. “It should say to patients that these institutions care enough about patient safety to have submitted their medical records and processes for critical review.”

 

SRC designates Bariatric Centers of Excellence in two phases. Provisional status is granted once it determines a medical center has the necessary resources to provide safe and effective bariatric surgery. Final approval is recommended only after an on-site inspection of the hospital, resources, medical records, complication rates and overall outcomes.

 

In order to be considered, institutions must perform at least 125 gastric bypass surgeries each year; have a designated medical director and multidisciplinary care team, including a psychologist, dietician and exercise experts; and must maintain a full complement of equipment – from operating tables to wheelchairs – suitable for morbidly obese patients.

 

Once designated a center of excellence, hospitals must periodically submit data to prove that quality standards are being maintained. The hospitals must undergo re-certification every one to three years.

 

“This validates what we’ve been doing at VCU for many years,” said Jill Meador, RN, bariatric nurse coordinator. “Having someone critically review our procedures and designate us as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence says we are doing things right.”

 

SRC is an independent, not-for-profit organization founded by the leaders of the American Society of Bariatric Surgery to establish care guidelines for gastric bypass surgery programs and to help surgeons and hospitals reach optimal levels of performance.

 

The designation is for three years – the maximum term that can be issued to an institution.