FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:MIMIS and Dr. McCollister Approved as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence
September 12, 2007
CROSBY, MINNESOTA – Dr. Howard McCollister and the Minnesota Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIMIS) at the Cuyuna Regional Medical Center announced today that they have been named an American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence. The ASMBS Center of Excellence designation recognizes surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery.
According to a report released in 2007 by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the number of bariatric surgeries has grown from 16,000 procedures performed in 1992 to 170,000 performed in 2005. Faced with clinical evidence that the most experienced and best-run bariatric surgery programs have by far the lowest rates of complications, the ASMBS Centers of Excellence program was created to recognize bariatric surgery centers that perform well and to help surgeons and hospitals continue to improve the quality and safety of care provided.
To earn a Center of Excellence designation, Dr. McCollister and MIMIS underwent a series of site inspections during which all aspects of the program’s surgical processes were closely examined and data on health outcomes was collected. Dr. McCollister, MIMIS, and other centers receiving the Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence designation agree to continue to share information on clinical pathways, protocols and outcomes data.
“We are proud and honored to be an ASBMS Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence,” said Dr. McCollister, who serves as co-director of MIMIS. “Assuring the highest possible surgical standards and quality of care is important to the future of bariatric surgery – a future all of us here look forward to very much.”
Surgical Review Corporation, (SRC), an organization dedicated to pursuing surgical excellence, formulates and establishes the rigorous standards with which Dr. McCollister, MIMIS and other Centers of Excellence must comply, thoroughly inspects and evaluates each candidate for designation, and upon review, recommends approval of designation for those physicians and facilities whose practices and outcomes meet the stringent demands set forth by SRC and ASMBS.
Obesity has become a significant national health issue, with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), reporting that 66 percent of all U.S. adults are overweight or obese. Morbid obesity is closely correlated with a number of serious conditions that severely undermine the health of overweight patients, including heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Bariatric surgery, when performed correctly, can help obese patients manage these conditions. By definition, surgeons with ASFMBS Center of Excellence designations practice only top-quality care, ensuring efficacy of the procedure with each patient to the best of their abilities.
As a pioneering organization, designating Centers of Excellence based on top quality care and efficacious outcomes, the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, with the help of SRC, is working to align the common interests of patients, surgeons, and insurers, all of whom suffer when complications develop after surgical care.
About the Minnesota Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIMIS)
The Minnesota Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery is a service of Cuyuna Regional Medical Center on the Medical Campus in Crosby. For additional information about MIMIS or bariatric surgery call 1-888-546-4343 or visit www.mimis-obesity.com.
About American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery is the largest society for this specialty in the world. Founded in 1983, foremost American surgeons have formed the society’s leadership and have established an excellent organization with educational and support programs for surgeons and allied health professionals. The purpose of the society is to advance the art and science of bariatric surgery by continued encouragement of its members to: pursue investigations in both the clinic and the laboratory; interchange ideas, information and experience pertaining to bariatric surgery; promote guidelines for ethical patient selection and care; develop educational programs for physicians, paramedical persons, and lay people; and promote outcome studied and quality assurance. For more information about ASMBS, please visit www.asmbs.org.
About Surgical Review Corporation
Surgical Review Corporation, (SRC), is an independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to surgical excellence. SRC’s mission is to promote the delivery of surgical care with the highest levels of efficacy, efficiency, and safety possible. For more information about SRC or to download a Center of Excellence application, please visit www.surgicalreview.org.
Contact: Theresa Sullivan
Cuyuna Regional Medical Center
218-546-4354
tsullivan@cuyunamed.org
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