Saint Clare’s Dover Hospital Achieves Additional National Accreditation from the
Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and
Quality Improvement Program
Saint Clare’s Health Dover Hospital now meets all criteria as an Adolescent Bariatric Center
Dover, NJ (March 25, 2019) – Patients seeking surgical treatment for severe obesity and its related conditions have a high-quality choice for receiving treatment at a nationally accredited program that meets the highest standards for patient safety and quality of care in the greater Morris County and Sussex County area. This now extends to adolescents. Saint Clare’s Dover Hospital is the only hospital in the area to achieve such recognition for both adolescent and adult bariatrics.
Alexander Abkin, MD, FACS (Fellow of the American College of Surgeons), Medical Director of the Weight Loss Surgery Program at Saint Clare’s Health, today announced its bariatric surgery program has been accredited as a Comprehensive with Adolescent Qualifications Center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP®), a joint program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).
The MBSAQIP Standards, outlined in the Resources for Optimal Care of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Patient 2016 ensure that 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 obese patients.
“Childhood and adolescent obesity is an epidemic in the United States. Rates of diabetes, heart disease, and other obesity-related conditions have been on the rise for several years now. This is largely due to obesity forming habits in childhood that carry on into adulthood,” said Dr. Abkin. “For children, between the ages of 16 and 18, that are already dealing with the challenges of obesity and the effects, Saint Clare’s is pleased to offer a multi-disciplinary management team and bariatric surgery program accredited as adolescent centers by the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery to assist teens and their families in living a healthier life and reducing the diseases caused by obesity,” he added.
Saint Clare’s commitment to quality care begins with appropriately trained staff and the leadership surgeons who participate in meetings throughout the year to review outcomes. They seek continuous improvement to enhance the structure, process and outcomes of the center. The team is also dedicated to the patient and their families and offers life-long support before, during and after the surgery.
“This is further testimony to Saint Clare’s Health’s commitment to high quality and compassionate care for all who enter our doors,” said Brian Finestein, CEO. “As an award-winning community hospital, we are dedicated to improving the health and lives of those we serve. This accreditation shows the commitment of our staff to serve the young members of our community and help them to live healthy and fulfilling lives.”
To earn the MBSAQIP designation, Saint Clare’s Health Dover Hospital 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. The standards are specified in the MBSAQIPResources for Optimal Care of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Patient 2016, published by the ACS and ASMBS.
After submitting an application, centers seeking MBSAQIP Accreditation undergo an extensive site visit by an experienced bariatric surgeon, who reviews the center’s structure, process, and clinical outcomes data. Centers are awarded a specific designation depending on how many patients it serves annually, the type of procedures it provides, and whether it provides care for patients under age 18.
In the United States, around 15.5 million people 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 that are 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 comorbid conditions related to severe obesity.* Working with ASMBS, the ACS expanded this quality program for bariatric surgery centers so that it can assist bariatric patients in identifying those centers that provide optimal surgical care.
For patients, choosing an MBSAQIP® Center means you will receive compassionate care by physicians who meet bariatric surgery criteria set by both the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
About Saint Clare’s Health
Saint Clare’s Health is an award-winning provider of safe, high quality, compassionate care, serving the communities of Morris and Sussex counties. Its network of hospitals and healthcare facilities include Denville Hospital, Dover Hospital, Behavioral Health centers in Boonton, Denville, and Parsippany, and an Imaging Center in Parsippany, among other satellite locations. To learn more visit SainClares.com and Like Us on Facebook.