This designation adds Medical Center Hospital and Dr. Don Davenport to the exclusive group of only 475 hospitals and 801 surgeons, with the closest COE being in El Paso.

The Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence program was started in 2004 to advance the safety, efficacy and efficiency of bariatric and metabolic surgical care.  Surgical Review Corporation administers the program on behalf of the ASMBS.

The ASMBS Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence program recognizes surgeons and facilities that demonstrate an unparalleled commitment and ability to consistently deliver safe, effective, evidence-based care.  The program is structured to help bariatric surgery providers continuously improve care quality and patient safety.

Truly excellent patient care is the result of both the individual surgeon and the facility at which the surgery is performed.  The BSCOE designation is therefore awarded to both the surgeon and facility, which enables patients to distinguish specific providers who have met the requirements for delivering high-quality perioperative and long-term follow-up care from those who have not.

The program's objective requirements and evaluation processes were developed in conjunction with leading bariatric surgeons, hospital administrators, health plans, researchers and patient advocates.  A commitment to long-term patient care and success necessitates that the requirements be comprehensive, research-based and verified through a rigorous site inspection.

To earn this designation, Dr. Don Davenport & Medical Center Hospital, provided information on all aspects of its bariatric surgery program and processes, including data on its surgical outcomes.

As a BSCOE participant, Dr. Davenport is required to enter information on all patients who undergo bariatric surgery into the Bariatric Outcomes Longitudinal Database (BOLD).   BOLD is the world's largest and most comprehensive repository of clinical bariatric surgery patient information.  The database provides real-time access to individual patient information and supports clinical decisions.  BOLD is also being used to develop general knowledge about optimal bariatric surgery practices.

The Center of Excellence designation currently enables reimbursement from major health insurers, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), CIGNA, Humana, Kaiser Permanente, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield.  More than 262 million Americans are insured by health plans that recognize the BSCOE designation.

While the designation represents excellence, it does not guarantee perfection.  As with any surgical procedure, there are associated risks and complications with bariatric surgical treatments.  Care is particularly challenging because morbid obesity usually involves a myriad of other medical problems that need to be addressed.  Additionally, patients must do their part by following their doctors' orders to achieve desired outcomes.

Bariatric surgery is not a quick fix.  The successful, long-term management of obesity, type 2 diabetes and other comorbidities depends on a dedicated, multidisciplinary team and its associated facility working together with the patient and their family.  
 

About the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS)

The ASMBS is the largest organization of bariatric surgeons in the world.  It is a non-profit organization that works to advance the art and science of bariatric surgery and is committed to educating medical professionals and the lay public about bariatric surgery as an option of the treatment of morbid obesity, as well as the associated risks and benefits.  It encourages its members to investigate and discover new advances in bariatric surgery, while maintaining a steady exchange of experiences and ideas that may lead to improved surgical outcomes for morbidly obese patients.  For more information on the ASMBS, visit www.asmbs.org

About Surgical Review Corporation

Surgical Review Corporation (SRC) is an independent, nonprofit organization governed by industry stakeholders and dedicated to advancing the safety, efficacy and efficiency of surgical care worldwide.  Initially focused on bariatric and metabolic surgery, SRC has emerged as a leading administrator of center of excellence programs for surgical specialties.  The organization manages programs on behalf of top medical societies around the world, setting a global standard for excellence.  To support center of excellence program compliance and quality improvement in patient care, SRC developed BOLD, a longitudinal outcomes database,  BOLD is now the world's largest repository of clinical patient data for the bariatric surgery specialty.  For more information, visit www.surgicalreview.org.