Milford Regional Achieves Elevated Designation for Weight Loss Surgery Program
Milford Regional Medical Center has met all criteria required by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program to be elevated from a Low Acuity designation to that of a Comprehensive Center. Achieving this new designation is based upon national quality standards established to deliver safe, high quality bariatric patient care.
Patients seeking surgical treatment for severe obesity and its related conditions have a high-quality choice in Milford Regional for receiving treatment at a nationally accredited program that meets the highest standards for patient safety and quality of care in the greater Milford area.
Dr. Philip A. Cohen, Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Director at Milford Regional, today announced that The Center for Weight Loss Surgery at Milford Regional has been accredited as a Comprehensive 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 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 their severely obese patients.
“Since its inception in 2013, Milford Regional has established a strong, comprehensive weight loss surgery program that has improved the health and wellbeing of many patients,” says Dr. Cohen. “We take pride in our personalized approach and commitment to every patient on their journey to weight loss. As our program states, ‘It’s not just about what you lose, it’s about what you gain.’”
The Center for Weight Loss Surgery’s commitment to quality care begins with appropriately trained staff and the leadership surgeons who participate in meetings throughout the year to review its outcomes. They seek continuous improvement to enhance the structure, process and outcomes of the center.
To earn the MBSAQIP designation, The Center for Weight Loss Surgery 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 Center for Weight Loss Surgery has become a pivotal program for many in our community,” says Edward J. Kelly, president & CEO of Milford Regional. “We have come to know patients who are eager to share their weight loss stories and recognize what a difference it has made in their lives. The entire weight loss surgery team is to be commended for this accomplishment.”
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 comorbid 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.
For more information or to register for a free information session on The Center for Weight Loss Surgery at Milford Regional, go to our website at milfordregional.org/freshstart or call Program Coordinator Pat Sabatino, RN, CNOR at 508-422-2684.
