Based on St. Joseph Hospital's demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) has named St. Joseph Hospital a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence.
In a report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the number of bariatric surgeries grew from 16,000 procedures 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.
To earn the Bariatric Center of Excellence designation announced in June, 2009, St. Joseph Hospital underwent a series of site inspections in 2008 examining all aspects of the program’s surgical processes and data collected on health outcomes. Hospitals receiving the designation agree to continue to share information on clinical pathways, protocols and outcomes data.
“Our program has achieved the Center of Excellence designation because of the outstanding work of our Bariatric Care Center surgeons, Drs.
Sami Hamamji,
Jeffrey Johnsrud and
Eric Pham and psychiatrist
Geoffrey Phillips,” states Vice President of Operations Kevin Lundon. He adds, “Surgical Program Manager
Heidi Daniel, R.N., diligently pursued validation of excellence in our Bariatric program. Her work showcases the entire team’s efforts to promote health, prevent injury, improve quality of life, save lives and deliver optimum care to our Bariatric surgical patients.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 66 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. Morbid obesity closely correlates to a number of serious conditions undermining the health of patients, including heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Bariatric surgery, when performed correctly, can help obese patients manage these conditions.
The Bariatric Care Center at St. Joseph Hospital utilizes a multidisciplinary approach to successful long-term weight loss using the expertise of the surgeons, program coordinator, psychiatrists, registered dietitian, physical therapists, exercise physiologist, meditation/spirituality specialist, acute-care surgical and post-op staff, and surgical office personnel. The surgeons at the St. Joseph Hospital Bariatric Care Center have been trained by some of the foremost physicians in the field. Almost 100% of our bariatric surgeries are done laparoscopically using the Lap Band technique.