Medical Center Earns Comprehensive Bariatric Facility Accreditation
MyMichigan Medical Center Midland was recently awarded reaccreditation as a comprehensive bariatric facility by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program® (MBSAQIP). This is the fourth consecutive three-year accreditation that the Medical Center has received.
This accreditation signifies that the Medical Center has demonstrated a commitment to delivering the highest quality of care for bariatric surgery patients. To earn accreditation, MyMichigan met the essential criteria that ensure its ability to support a safe bariatric surgical care program and measure up to the institutional performance requirements outlined by the MBSAQIP accreditation standards.
The MBSAQIP is a joint quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). The program accredits inpatient and outpatient bariatric surgery centers that have undergone an independent and rigorous peer evaluation in accordance with nationally recognized bariatric surgical standards.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates more than 100 million adults in the United States are affected by obesity and that number continues to increase. Obesity is associated with illnesses that range from type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke to certain types of cancers. Bariatric surgery has been shown to reduce obesity, improve mortality and decrease the health risks from chronic diseases.
“We are very pleased to receive accreditation from the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery,” said Angela Munro, R.N., B.S.N., program supervisor and one of the bariatric program nurse coordinators with MyMichigan Health. “Accreditation is an important way for patients to verify that a program has access to all the key resources necessary for optimal care, and we are proud to be acknowledged by the MBSAQIP for our excellence at both of our MyMichigan Medical Centers in Midland and Alma.”
The MBSAQIP Accreditation began in 2012 when the ACS and the ASMBS combined their individual accreditation programs into one, unified accreditation. This is a voluntary, but intensive process in which bariatric surgery practices must keep up to date with their resources and standards to maintain their accreditation.
“Since 2003, our Bariatric Surgeons Jeffrey Smith, M.D., Ernest Cudjoe, M.D., Jeffrey Bonacci, M.D., and James Pilkington, M.D., have performed more than 4,700 bariatric surgeries between our Medical Centers in Midland and Alma,” added Munro. “Our entire team works hard to provide excellent patient experiences and we are very proud of our outcomes and ongoing follow-up with our patients.”
MyMichigan Health also offers bariatric surgery at MyMichigan Medical Center Saginaw and Sault. Those who would like more information about bariatric surgery may visit www.midmichigan.org/weightloss or call (989) 796-4672 to speak with one of MyMichigan’s bariatric coordinators.
