South Miami Hospital’s Weight-loss Surgery Program Earns National Accreditation
MIAMI, FL — November 13, 2018 – South Miami Hospital’s Weight-loss Surgery Program has earned recognition as a nationally accredited program that meets the highest industry standards for patient safety and quality of care. The accreditation, by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP®), means that adult and adolescent patients, who seek surgical treatment for severe obesity and its related conditions, can expect a safe and effective surgery, along with a comprehensive and multidisciplinary care program at South Miami Hospital.
“We are thrilled with this accreditation,” said Anthony Gonzalez, M.D., medical director of South Miami Hospital’s Weight-loss Surgery Program. “The standards, set forth by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), are tough. Our entire team met those standards through hard work, dedication and an unrelenting commitment to our patients, their safety and their long-term health.”
The MBSAQIP Standards ensure that weight-loss surgery patients participate in an extensive multidisciplinary program, in addition to their surgical procedure, that helps improve outcomes and lasting success. South Miami Hospital’s Weight-Loss Surgery Program offers comprehensive pre-operative patient education and health assessments and postoperative care, including nutrition counseling, exercise programs and support groups to help severely obese patients achieve sustainable weight loss and improved health.
“Working as a team – from the bariatric nurse coordinator to the Operating Room nurses and technicians, to the surgeons and their respective office staffs – South Miami Hospital’s Weight-loss Surgery Program gathered input to build a program, now more than 20 years old, that benefits our patients,” said Paul Mungo, R.N., chief nursing officer, South Miami Hospital. “We even enlisted former patients to understand what we could do better to help with their long-term weight loss. This accreditation validates our team’s work and offers patients a sense of comfort, knowing they’ve come to the right place.”
To earn the MBSAQIP designation, South Miami Hospital’s Weight-loss Surgery Program demonstrated that its staffing, training, facility equipment and protocols for care could support patients with severe obesity. Its staff also reported its processes and outcomes to a national data registry twice a year and underwent a comprehensive site visit by an experienced bariatric surgeon, who reviewed the program’s structure, process and clinical outcomes data.
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. Metabolic and bariatric surgery have proven to be effective in the reduction of conditions, such as diabetes, that often stem from severe obesity.
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About South Miami Hospital
South Miami Hospital is part of Baptist Health South Florida, the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 10 hospitals (Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, Bethesda Hospital East, Bethesda Hospital West, Doctors Hospital, Fishermen’s Community Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital), more than 40 physician practices, 50 outpatient and urgent care facilities, Baptist Health Medical Group, Baptist Health Quality Network and internationally renowned centers of excellence spanning across Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to our faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health has more than 19,500 employees and more than 3,000 affiliated physicians. Baptist Health South Florida has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/newsroom and connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/BaptistHealthSF and on Twitter and Instagram @BaptistHealthSF.
About the American College of Surgeons
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical education and practice and to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient. Its achievements have placed it at the forefront of American surgery and have made the College an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 80,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.
About the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, founded in 1983, was formed to advance the art and science of metabolic and bariatric surgery by continually improving the quality and safety of care and treatment of people with obesity and related diseases through educational and support programs for surgeons and integrated health professionals.