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Bariatric surgery receives designation The MUSC Medical Center was named as a Center of Excellence by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS). The ASBS Center of Excellence designation recognizes surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery.   According to a study released in July 2005 by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the number of U.S. bariatric surgeries more than quadrupled between 1998 and 2002—from 13,386 to 71,733. Faced with clinical evidence that the most experienced and best-run bariatric surgery programs have by far the lowest rates of complications, the ASBS 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 Center of Excellence designation, MUSC underwent a series of site inspections during which all aspects of the program’s surgical processes were closely examined and data on health outcomes were collected. MUSC and other centers receiving the Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence designation agree to continue to share information on clinical pathways, protocols and outcomes data.   “The most painful part of the process was the waiting from October to February to receive the confirmation of our Center of Excellence status,” said Karl Byrne, M.D., bariatric surgery program director. “We are very proud of this designation and are glad to know that this form of recognition will get some control over the national bandwagon effect created when bariatric surgery first became a popular alternative for obese patients. By sharing outcomes data with other Centers of Excellence, the quality of patient care will only get better and information sharing will lead to better techniques, procedures and outcomes.”   Surgical Review Corporation (SRC), an organization dedicated to pursuing surgical excellence, formulates and establishes the rigorous standards with which MUSC and other 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 ASBS.   Obesity has become a significant national health issue, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting that 64 percent of all U.S. adults are overweight or obese. Another recent report suggests that almost half of the nation’s children will be overweight or obese by 2010. 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 ASBS Center of Excellence designations practice only top-quality care, ensuring efficacy of the procedure to the best of their abilities with each patient.   As a pioneering organization, designating Centers of Excellence based on top quality care and efficacious outcomes, the American Society for 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.   Byrne and the other physicians practicing bariatric surgery at MUSC, Katy Morgan, M.D., and Megan Baker Ruppel, M.D., were also excited that around the same time MUSC received its designation, Medicare issued a public announcement stating that the government entity would pay for bariatric surgery for patients with appropriate medical need, as long as their surgeries are completed at a Center for Excellence.   In addition, Byrne sees becoming a Center of Excellence as a chance to branch out into other areas of bariatric surgery, including the slow growth of an adolescent-based practice for obese children. “We’ve already performed weight-loss surgery for 12 teens at MUSC and look forward to slowly evolving an adolescent-based practice within the construct of an ASBS Center of Excellence.”    For information, contact Amanda R. Budak, R.N., bariatric surgery program manager, at 792-6561, or visit http://www.muschealth.com/weightlosssurgery.     Friday, Jan. 13, 2006 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island papers at 849-1778, ext. 201.