The Upstate Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Program has received reaccreditation as a Comprehensive Center by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP®), a joint Quality Program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

MBSAQIP-Accredited centers offer preoperative and postoperative care designed specifically for patients suffering with obesity. The three-year reaccreditation will remain in effect until March 2025. 

Jacquelyn D Turner, BSN, RN, bariatric program coordinator said the process to get accredited is a voluntary one but that Upstate takes pride in having the distinction.

“It speaks to our dedication to provide safe, quality patient care,” Turner said. “This is a quality driven accreditation. We are holding ourselves to national standards and uniform practice so that we can be the best we can be.”

To earn MBSAQIP reaccreditation, the Upstate program demonstrated compliance with key criteria for staffing, training, facility infrastructure and patient care pathways, ensuring its ability to support patients with obesity. The center also participates in a national data registry that yields semiannual reports on the quality of its surgical outcomes and identifying opportunities for quality improvement. 

MBSAQIP 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. This accreditation not only promotes uniform standard benchmarks, but also supports continuous quality improvement.

“Essentially it means that we have continued to meet all applicable standards and we are approved to perform all ASMBS endorsed procedures,” Turner said.

Turner said the bariatric surgery is a big life change, and big decision and that the Upstate program, located at Upstate Community Hospital, does an outstanding job of supporting patients beyond their surgery date, maintaining a relationship with them. Patients come in several times the first year after their surgery but are welcome to have consultations about things like nutrition, exercise or just support any time. The program also offers monthly support groups.

“We are a comprehensive program in terms of the patient and their entire journey, not just their surgery,” Turner said.