National weight loss surgery experts renew certification of UCI Health bariatric program
October 05, 2016
The UCI Health Bariatric Surgery Services has earned renewed accreditation in the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, conferred by the American College of Surgeon and American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
“This accreditation means that UCI Health has the infrastructure, specialized equipment, qualified staff and nurses, and experienced surgeons to care for the severely obese,” said Ninh T. Nguyen, MD, interim chair, UC Irvine Department of Surgery Department, and former president of the American Society of Metabolic and the Bariatric Surgery.
The program accredits inpatient and outpatient bariatric surgery centers in the United States and Canada that have undergone an independent, voluntary, and rigorous peer evaluation in accordance with nationally recognized bariatric surgical standards. Bariatric surgery accreditation promotes uniform standard benchmarks and continuous quality improvement.
The UCI Health bariatric program was first accredited in 2007. It specializes in the following procedures:
It features a multidisciplinary bariatric surgery team includes nationally regarded bariatric surgeons as well as experienced anesthesiologists, nurses, psychologists, dietitians, patient coordinators, and body contouring plastic surgeons. The program specializes in primary bariatric operations and also in management of complications arising from previous weight-loss surgery. UCI Health also offers a medically-supervised weight-loss program to complement its surgical program.
UCI Health Bariatric Surgery Services is a designated Boeing Center of Excellence and has also earned recognition from OptumHealth™ and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association for delivering high-quality and safe bariatric care.
UCI Health comprises the clinical, medical education and research enterprises of the University of California, Irvine. Patients can access UCI Health at physician offices throughout Orange County and at its main campus, UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange, Calif., a 411-bed acute care hospital that provides tertiary and quaternary care, ambulatory and specialty medical clinics, behavioral health and rehabilitation. U.S. News & World Report has listed it among America’s Best Hospitals for 16 consecutive years. UC Irvine Medical Center features Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program, Level I trauma center and Level II pediatric trauma center, and is the primary teaching hospital for UC Irvine School of Medicine. UCI Health serves a region of more than 3 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.
