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Monday, November 10, 2014

Franciscan St. Francis Health Reaccredited as Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence

INDIANAPOLIS – Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis has achieved renewal as a Center of Excellence® (COE) by the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

As part of the ASMBS, facilities are required to maintain standards set by the Metabolic Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), the unified program between the American College of Surgeons and the ASMBS. Recertification occurs every three years.

This review process confirms that all Center of Excellence programs, new and existing, continue to meet the evidence-based quality thresholds determined by expert physicians and medical organizations. It also provides an opportunity to improve the overall quality of care by requiring all Centers to meet criteria that keep pace with ongoing advances in clinical practice.

In the United States, more than 15 million people suffer from severe obesity, and the numbers continue to rise. Obesity increases the risks of morbidity and mortality because of the diseases and conditions that are commonly associated with it, including type II diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. 

Weight-loss surgery currently is one successful way to provide lasting relief from severe obesity.

Founded in 2002, the Franciscan St. Francis Weight Loss Center has helped thousands of Hoosiers through its medically supervised weight loss program and its bariatric surgery program.

The center, which was first accredited as a bariatric center of excellence in 2007, includes five physicians, registered dietitians, a nurse practitioner and a staff psychologist.

For more information on weight loss services through Franciscan St. Francis Health and Franciscan Physician Network, call 317-528-7525 or visit embracealighterfuture.com.