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Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Franciscan Health Weight Loss Center Earns National Reaccreditation

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – Patients seeking surgical treatment for severe obesity and its related conditions have a high-quality choice for receiving treatment from a nationally accredited program that meets the highest standards for patient safety and quality of care in the greater Indianapolis area.

They can receive care from Franciscan Health Weight Loss Center, which was recently reaccredited as a Comprehensive Center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP). This is a joint accreditation program of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

The MBSAQIP Standards ensure 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.

Led by Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Directors Jonathan Mandelbaum, MD, and Hazem Shamseddeen, MD, Franciscan Health Weight Loss Center is committed to continuous improvement to bolster the structure, process and outcomes for patients.

To earn the MBSAQIP designation, Franciscan Health Weight Loss Center 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.

An estimated 15.5 million Americans 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 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 chronic conditions related to severe obesity.