The Owensboro Health Regional Hospital bariatric surgery program at the organization’s Surgical Weight Loss Center has been accredited as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence (BSCOE), signifying a level of excellence in the field of bariatric medicine.
“The Center of Excellence designation is a prestigious honor that will help our patients to access the highest quality surgical weight loss care,” said Debbie Bostic, Chief Operations Officer at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital. “It allows them to have confidence in their surgeon and the entire program. I want to congratulate Dr. Alapati and his team on the success of this program over the past three years.”
Owensboro Health Surgical Weight Loss Center is led by Dr. Ravi Alapati, a board-certified general surgeon who has advanced fellowship training in minimally invasive and bariatric surgery and is a fellow of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). Since its inception in 2018, the Owensboro Health Weight Loss Surgery Center has helped more than 500 patients lose weight and gain improved health and quality of life.
The accreditation came from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP). To earn the accreditation, hospitals have to go through a rigorous reporting process and inspection by ASMBS and the American College of Surgeons (ACS).
Along with having certain types of equipment geared towards the bariatric patient, they also have to maintain a minimum number of bariatric cases per year in order to maintain their standing.
The OH Weight Loss Center (2235 Mayfair Ave) met essential criteria for staffing, training, facility infrastructure and patient-care pathways. After applying for MBSAQIP accreditation, centers undergo an extensive site visit by an experienced bariatric surgeon who reviews the Center’s structure, processes and clinical outcomes data.
MBSAQIP-Accredited centers offer preoperative and postoperative care designed specifically for patients with obesity.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates about 93 million adults in the United States are affected by obesity and that number continues to increase,” according to a release from OH officials. “The disease of 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, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, among other health risks.”
The release continued, “Metabolic and bariatric surgery has proven to be effective in the reduction of comorbid conditions related to obesity (according to this research). Working together, the ACS and the ASMBS have developed accreditation standards for metabolic and bariatric surgery to assist patients with obesity in identifying centers that provide optimal patient care.”
