Santa Rosa Medical Center Achieves National Accreditation from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program

6/11/2019

MILTON, FL: Patients seeking surgical treatment for severe obesity and its related conditions have a high-quality choice for receiving treatment at a nationally accredited program that meets the highest standards for patient safety and quality of care. The Weight Loss Surgery Center at Santa Rosa Medical Center has achieved accreditation as an Accredited Bariatric Center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP®), a joint program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

The MBSAQIP Standards, outlined in the Resources for Optimal Care of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Patient 2016 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 preoperative and postoperative care designed specifically for our severely obese patients.

“This is the first step for the Weight Loss Surgery Center at Santa Rosa Medical Center to become the premier destination center for specialized bariatric care,” said Rick Mohammed, DO. “The accreditation demonstrates the hospital’s commitment to quality and excellence,” he added. Santa Rosa Medical Center’s commitment to quality care begins with appropriately trained staff and a surgeon who participates in meetings throughout the year to review its outcomes and establish best practices to improve quality of care. They seek continuous improvement to enhance the structure, process and outcomes of each accredited center.

To earn the MBSAQIP designation, Santa Rosa Medical Center 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 2016, published by the ACS and ASMBS.

Hospital CEO, Doug Sills is very pleased with the accreditation. He said “This is the culmination of hard work on behalf of a team that has worked together to gain this accreditation for our hospital. I cannot say enough about them and the success they have achieved.”

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 comorbidity 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.

Santa Rosa Medical Center accepts most major insurance payers. If you would like a free evaluation to see if you are eligible for bariatric surgery, please call 850.626.5121.

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