A Level 1a ACS Bariatric Center!

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) surveys bariatric programs and holds accredited programs to the highest of clinical performance standards. Centers with the highest level of accreditation, Level 1 centers, must provide complete tertiary care, with resources devoted to bariatric surgery. These hospitals can manage the most challenging and complex patients with optimal opportunity for safe and effective outcomes. These centers will engage all levels of obesity, standards of care for weight loss operations, ages, co-morbid conditions, and re-operations. They will have high volume practices of 125 or more weight-loss operations annually, with at least two credentialed and experienced bariatric surgeons each performing at least 50 primary weight-loss operations annually.

Westchester Medical Center is recognized as an American College of Surgeons (ACS) Level One Center of Excellence as well as an ASBS/Surgical Review Corporation (SRC) Center of Excellence. Bariatric centers of excellence with these provisions must report long-term patient outcomes and have on-site inspections to verify all their data. In addition, these Centers must have dedicated multi-disciplinary bariatric teams that include surgeons, nurses, medical consultants, nutritionists, psychologists and exercise physiologists.

The Center of Excellence provision is important. The evidence shows that the best outcomes and the fewest complications occur in centers with the most experience.