Austin, Texas - (January 5, 2009) - The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) has named Seton Medical Center Austin (SMCA) as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence®. The ASMBS Center of Excellence designation recognizes surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery.
"Developed under ASMBS guidelines, Seton's comprehensive program offers extensive clinical expertise and support to help patients achieve their goals and live healthier, happier lives," said Dr. Mark Sherrod, Bariatric Medical Director at Seton Medical Center Austin. "Our patients receive education and support throughout their weight-loss journey from pre-operative testing to post-surgery support groups. Our staff members receive ongoing specialty training and equipment purchased with bariatric patients in mind help provide safe, competent, and compassionate care to our weight-loss surgery patients."
According to a report released in 2007 by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the number of bariatric surgeries has grown from 16,000 procedures performed in 1992 to 170,000 performed in 2005. Faced with clinical evidence that the most experienced and best-run bariatric surgery programs have by far the lowest rates of complications, the ASMBS Centers of Excellence program was created to recognize bariatric surgery centers that perform well and to help surgeons and hospitals continue to improve the quality and safety of care provided.
"With Seton Medical Center Austin's designation as a Center of Excellence, patients can feel more confident they are receiving care by a bariatric trained staff who have undergone extensive, specialized education and training in weight-loss surgery," added Dr. Sherrod.
To earn a Center of Excellence designation, SMCA underwent an extensive site inspection during which all aspects of the program's surgical processes were closely examined and data on health outcomes was collected. SMCA and other centers receiving the Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence designation agree to continue to share information on clinical pathways, protocols and outcomes data.
Surgical Review Corporation (SRC), an organization dedicated to pursuing surgical excellence, formulates and establishes the rigorous standards with which SMCA and other Centers of Excellence must comply, thoroughly inspects and evaluates each candidate for designation, and upon review recommends approval of designation for those physicians and facilities whose practices and outcomes meet the stringent demands set forth by SRC for ASMBS.
Obesity has become a significant national health issue, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting that 66 percent of all U.S. adults are overweight or obese. Morbid obesity is closely correlated with a number of serious conditions that severely undermine the health of overweight patients, including heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Bariatric surgery, when performed correctly, can help obese patients manage these conditions.
As a pioneering organization, designating Centers of Excellence based on top quality care and efficacious outcomes, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, with the help of SRC, is working to align the common interests of patients, surgeons, hospitals and insurers, all of whom suffer when complications develop after surgical care.
Seton is proud to have four hospitals – the only hospitals in Central Texas - that have earned the