The Nebraska Medical Center has been named an American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence®. The ASMBS BSCOE designation recognizes surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery.

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 Bariatric Surgery 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.

To earn a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence designation, The Nebraska Medical Center underwent a series of site inspections during which all aspects of the program’s surgical processes were closely examined and data on health outcomes was collected. The Nebraska Medical Center and other centers receiving the Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence designation agree to continue to share information on clinical pathways, protocols and outcomes data.

In addition, the hospital must perform at least 125 bariatric surgeries annually and be equipped to serve bariatric patients with appropriate beds, restrooms, wheelchairs, and waiting area seating.

“We are honored to receive this designation,” said Corrigan McBride, M.D., bariatric surgeon at The Nebraska Medical Center. “The medical center has the largest bariatric surgery program in Omaha and Lincoln with the longest track record, which includes 1,550 patients since 1992.”

The bariatric surgery program at The Nebraska Medical Center offers gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy and adjustable gastric band surgeries. All can be done with laparoscopic, minimally invasive approach.

The program is staffed by four surgeons, two physician’s assistants, two registered nurses, dieticians and a psychologist.

The Nebraska Medical Center hosts monthly support groups for bariatric patients and employees also go through obesity sensitivity training in order to treat bariatric patients with the greatest care. The medical center also hosts free public informational sessions about bariatric surgery each month.

Surgical Review Corporation (SRC), an organization dedicated to pursuing surgical excellence, formulates and establishes the rigorous standards with which The Nebraska Medical Center and other Bariatric Surgery 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 US 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. By definition, surgeons with ASMBS Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence designation practice only top quality care, ensuring efficacy of the procedure with each patient to the best of their abilities.

As a pioneering organization designating Bariatric Surgery 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.