Tampa General Hospital+USF Health Bariatric Program Earns Full Reaccreditation

Weight-loss surgery program receives fifth consecutive national MBSAQIP accreditation recognizing safe, high-quality care.

TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The TGH+USF Health Bariatric Center has again earned full accreditation as a Comprehensive 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 program sets national standards for bariatric surgery centers with a goal of advancing safe, high-quality care for weight-loss surgery patients.

This is the fifth consecutive MBSAQIP accreditation for the TGH+USF Health Bariatric Center. To be accredited, a bariatric surgery center must undergo an independent, voluntary, and rigorous peer evaluation in accordance with nationally recognized bariatric surgical standards. This accreditation not only promotes uniform benchmarks, but also supports continuous quality improvement.

"We continue to strive to deliver the highest quality of care, in the safest manner, for any patient regardless of complexity. We do this by leveraging our world-class experts in a multidisciplinary team setting and crafting a patient care plan specific to each patient," said Dr. Christopher DuCoin, chief of the TGH Digestive Diseases Institute, director of the TGH+USF Health Bariatric Center, associate professor, vice chair of the Department of Surgery, and director of the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

As one of the first accredited bariatric programs in the state, the TGH+USF Health Bariatric Center is the only MBSAQIP-accredited program at an academic medical center (AMC) in Florida recognized as a comprehensive center with adolescent and obesity medicine qualifications. The program is also one of only two at an AMC in the U.S. that is MBSAQIP accredited as a comprehensive center with adolescent and obesity medicine qualifications and with a board-certified obesity medicine physician on staff.

"Having a board-certified obesity medicine physician on staff to coordinate patient care and lead the team of bariatric health care providers can significantly enhance the patient experience and quality of care," DuCoin said.

Through the program's multidisciplinary approach, patients work with a team of bariatric experts across multiple specialties, including surgeons, endocrinologists, bariatricians, registered nurses, psychologists and dietitians. Patients have access to a comprehensive range of services and long-term support including pre- and post-operative bariatric surgery support groups to help them succeed in their weight-loss journey. Procedures and services include:

• Gastric bypass surgery
• Sleeve gastrectomy
• Adjustable gastric banding procedures
• Revisional bariatric surgeries
• Post-operative care programs and long-term support
• Endoscopic bariatric surgery (transoral incisionless surgery)
• Duodenal switch procedure
• Bariatric surgery education
• Bariatric surgery support groups
• Psychological assistance
• Comprehensive wellness assessments
• Nutritional interventions
• Physician-supervised (non-surgical) rapid weight-loss programs
• Physician-supervised (non-surgical) weight-maintenance programs

"We welcome all patients to the program and work with them to find the weight-loss solution that is appropriate for them," DuCoin said. "The goal of this program is to provide patients with a variety of resources to help them lose weight in a long-term, meaningful manner."

According to Florida Department of Health statistics, approximately 28% of adult Floridians are obese and have a body mass index (BMI) over 30. Candidates for weight-loss surgery generally need to have a BMI of 40 or more, or a BMI of 35 or more combined with serious health conditions. The TGH+USF Health Bariatric Center has helped more than 5,000 weight-loss patients achieve healthy weights and lifestyles. In addition to weight loss, bariatric surgery can enhance self-esteem and improve health conditions such as diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, asthma and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

In addition to weight-loss surgery for adults, Tampa General Hospital and USF Health's Adolescent Bariatric Surgery program provides bariatric services for adolescents over the age of 16 who have a body mass index of 40 or higher and who have not lost weight despite dieting and exercising. Patients considering adolescent weight loss surgery must attend a one-hour bariatric surgery information session and adhere to post-surgery nutritional guidelines and lifelong follow-up at the TGH+USF Health Bariatric Center.

For more information about bariatric services provided by the TGH+USF Health Bariatric Center, email [email protected] or call 813-844-7473.

Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2022-23 Best Hospitals, and is tied as the third highest-ranked hospital in Florida, with seven specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic medical center's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – first nationally in the 2022 America's Best Employers for Women and sixth out of 100 Florida companies in the 2022 America's Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2021, provided a net community benefit worth more than $224.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging powered by Tower outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track. As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

USF Health's mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the Taneja College of Pharmacy, the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, the Biomedical Sciences Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs, and USF Health's multispecialty physicians' group. The University of South Florida is a high-impact global research university dedicated to student success. Over the past 10 years, no other public university in the country has risen faster in U.S. News & World Report's national university rankings than USF. For more information, visit health.usf.edu.

SOURCE Tampa General Hospital