VCU news

By Leha Byrd

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association has named VCU Health Division of Bariatric and Gastrointestinal Surgery as a Blue Distinction® Center for Bariatric Surgery.  The designation is part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program, which recognizes nationally designated health care facilities that demonstrate expertise in their field of care. It also serves as a distinguishing factor for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield patients seeking specialty services. VCU Health was recognized because of its accreditation, low readmission rates and results: an average of 90 percent of its bariatric patients maintain their weight loss.

To receive this designation, a health care facility also must successfully meet patient safety measures as well as bariatric-specific quality measures, such as complication rates for laparoscopic procedures in sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass and adjustable gastric band. Guilherme M. Campos, M.D., professor of surgery and chair of the VCU Health Division of Bariatric and Gastrointestinal Surgery, said the bariatric team’s latest designation is a testament to well-rounded patient care before and after surgery.

In 2015, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center and the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU were the state’s only accredited metabolic and bariatric surgery centers for adults and adolescents. In 2017, the division was reaccredited by the American College of Surgeons Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, which accredits inpatient and outpatient bariatric surgery centers that submit to an independent, voluntary and rigorous peer evaluation in accordance with nationally recognized bariatric surgical criteria.

“We are proud of what our team can offer in the realm of bariatric care, and especially thrilled that our offerings and expertise have been recognized on this level,” said Campos, current president of the Virginia Bariatric Society. “We will continue to work toward excellence and providing our patients throughout Virginia with exemplary care.”

Bariatric and Gastrointestinal Surgery staff see patients at VCU Medical Center and the VCU Health Stony Point Campus.

“On behalf of Anthem and our associates, I would like to congratulate VCU Health for being selected as a Blue Distinction Specialty Care center,” said Jeff Ricketts, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia. “By obtaining this designation, VCU Health has shown it shares our strong commitment to quality health care and improved health outcomes that will benefit our members and all Virginians.”

The VCU Health Division of Bariatric and Gastrointestinal Surgery includes a multidisciplinary team of nurses, nurse practitioners, dietitians, endocrinologists, gastroenterologists, radiologists and other specialists as needed. At VCU Medical Center and the VCU Health Stony Point Campus, members of the Bariatric and Gastrointestinal Surgery team conduct monthly informational sessions about weight loss surgery options. For more information, call (804) 827-0045.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies across the nation have recognized more than 550 health care facilities as Blue Distinction Centers for Bariatric Surgery, and has had its Blue Distinction Specialty Care program since 2006. For a complete listing of Blue Distinction Centers, visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.