Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery at
Scottsdale Healthcare

Get Your Life Back

Scottsdale Healthcare's surgical weight loss program is proud to announce that our Center of Excellence in Bariatric Surgery has been renewed by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) in conjunction with the Surgical Review Corporation. Scottsdale Healthcare's bariatric surgery program was first designated as a Center of Excellence in 2005. Renewing the designation involved an extensive on-site evaluation. All aspects of the program's surgical processes were closely examined and data on health outcomes were reviewed.

The Center of Excellence designation is awarded only to surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery. The Surgical Review Corporation has 11 requirements that must be met to qualify for the COE designation.

1. An institutional commitment at the highest levels of the applicant medical staff and the institution's administration to excellence in the care of bariatric surgical patient.
2. The reasonable expectation that the applicant institution will perform at least 125 bariatric surgical cases per year.
3. The applicant maintains a designated physician Medical Director for bariatric surgery.
4. The applicant hospital maintains, within 30 minutes of request, a full complement on staff of the various consultative services required for the care of bariatric surgical patients.
5. The applicant maintains a full line of equipment and instruments for the care of bariatric surgical patients including furniture, wheelchairs, operating room tables, floor-mounted or floor-supported toilets, beds, radiological capabilities, surgical instruments and other facilities suitable for morbidly obese patients.
6. The applicant has a bariatric surgeon who spends a significant portion of his or her efforts in the field of bariatric surgery and who has qualified coverage and support for patient care.
7. The applicant utilizes clinical pathways and orders that facilitate the standardization of peri-operative care for the relevant procedure.
8. The applicant utilizes clinical pathways and orders that facilitate the standardization of peri-operative care for the relevant procedure.
9. The applicant utilizes designated nurse or physician extenders who are dedicated to serving bariatric surgical patients.
10. The applicant makes available organized and supervised support groups for all patients who have undergone bariatric surgery at the institution.
11. The applicant provides documentation of a program dedicated to a goal of long-term patient follow-up of at least 75 percent for bariatric procedures at five years with a monitoring and tracking system for outcomes. 

After all of the requirements have been met the facility and surgeon each undergo an extensive site visit by a representative from the Surgical Review Corporation who evaluates both the facility and the surgeons for efficacy, efficiency and safety. All the information collected during the site visit is "blinded" and submitted to the SRC committee for review. The Bariatric Surgery Review Committee reviews the information, determines whether the guidelines are met, and either grants or denies the designation. 

Scottsdale Healthcare's bariatric program includes a dedicated hospital unit at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea with specialized equipment that enables complex procedures to be performed with incisions smaller than one-fifth of an inch. As part of our all inclusive program, patients have access to psychologist-facilitated support groups as well as experts in nutrition and exercise physiology. Support groups are also offered online for those patients who are not local residents. Scottsdale Healthcare Bariatric Center has surgery patients that travel from all over the United States as well as India, Mexico, and Canada. 

The program is lead by Medical Director, Robin Blackstone, MD, FACS with programmatic support from the bariatric coordinator. 

Additionally, patients are cared for by Scottsdale Healthcare's Magnet award-winning nurses. Many are also certified bariatric nurses. Magnet recognition is considered the gold standard in patient care and was granted to Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn and Scottsdale Healthcare Shea in 2006 by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Scottsdale Healthcare Thompson Peak incorporates the same award-winning patient care practices, and will be included in Scottsdale Healthcare's next Magnet survey. 

The objective of Surgical Review Corporation Center of Excellence is not to limit access to bariatric surgery. The main goal is to raise the standards of care to ensure that favorable outcomes are the norm.