Fairview Park Hospital Achieves National Accreditation for Bariatric Surgery

Fairview Park Hospital has achieved Comprehensive Center accreditation on behalf of the American College of Surgeons for the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accredited Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), in partnership with the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

This accreditation is a formal acknowledgement of Fairview Park Hospital's commitment to providing and supporting quality improvement and patient safety efforts for weight loss surgery patients. Those seeking surgical treatment for weight loss and severe obesity have a high-quality choice for receiving treatment at a nationally accredited program that meets the highest standards for patient safety and quality of care in the Middle Georgia area.

"We are extremely pleased to be able to share our recognition by the MBSAQIP for our commitment to ongoing improvements in quality and certifications for our patients," says Dr. Mike Blaney, Bariatric Surgeon at Fairview Park Hospital. "This accreditation showcases the hard work by our team and colleagues across our organization to meet the needs of our patients through multidisciplinary, high-quality and patient-centered care."

"Achievement of this national recognition for excellence in bariatric surgery is yet another example of Fairview's focus on our commitment to offer the highest quality care to the people of Middle GA," said Don Avery, President and CEO at Fairview Park Hospital. "I am very proud of the team, led by Dr. Mike Blaney and Fairview Park Bariatric program coordinator Chelsea Mimbs, that is responsible for this milestone."

To earn the MBSAQIP designation, Fairview Park Hospital met essential criteria for staffing, training and facility infrastructure and protocols for care, ensuring its ability to support patients with severe obesity. Fairview Park Hospital is able to care for obese patients with tools and amenities such as higher weight rated seating, beds, stretchers and wheelchairs. In addition, renovations were made to showers, bathrooms and doorways to allow for bariatric wheelchair access.

The center also participates in a national data registry that yields semiannual reports on the quality of its processes and outcomes, identifying opportunities for continuous quality improvement. The standards are specified in the MBSAQIP_ Resources for Optimal Care of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Patient 2016,_ published by the ACS and ASMBS.

For more information on weight loss surgery options and free informational seminars at Fairview Park Hospital, visit https://fphos.co/WeightLoss or call (478) 274-3999.