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Contact: Jamie Leszczynski

Patients seeking surgical treatment for obesity and its related conditions have a high-quality choice for receiving care at a nationally accredited program that meets the highest standards for patient safety and quality in the greater CNY area.

Jeffrey DeSimone, MD, Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Director at the Center for Weight Loss & Surgery, announced today that its bariatric surgery center has been reaccredited 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).

The MBSAQIP Standards, Optimal Resources for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, ensure that metabolic and bariatric patients receive multidisciplinary medical care, which improves patient outcomes and long-term success. MBSAQIP-Accredited centers offer preoperative and postoperative care designed specifically for patients with obesity.

The Center for Weight Loss & Surgery’s commitment to quality care begins with expertly trained staff and the leadership of experienced bariatric surgeons. The program is tasked with continuous review of surgical data as they continue improving the structure and outcomes expertise necessary to provide safe, efficacious, and high-quality care to all metabolic and bariatric patients.

To oversee the standards and evaluation of the program, Gina Marino, LPN, has been promoted to MBS Coordinator for the Center for Weight Loss & Surgery. Marino initially joined the health system in 2018 as part of Oswego Family Physicians. In 2022 she moved over to Oswego PrimeCare as the Lead LPN. In this new role as MBS Coordinator, Marino is responsible for the coordination and implementation of employee education related to metabolic and bariatric surgery patients. Marino shares, “Our Center has demonstrated an uncompromising commitment to quality that has earned the confidence, respect, and trust of patients making a lifetime commitment to healthier living. I am honored to be in a position where I can oversee the planning, scheduling, and coordination of bariatric surgery patients from decision for surgery to follow-up care.”

To earn MBSAQIP Accreditation, the Center for Weight Loss & Surgery met essential 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. The MBSAQIP Standards, Optimal Resources for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, are published by the ACS and the ASMBS.

After applying for MBSAQIP Accreditation, centers undergo an extensive site visit by an experienced bariatric surgeon who reviews the center's structure, processes, and clinical outcomes data. Centers that earn accreditation are awarded a specific designation level, depending on how many patients it serves annually, critical care capabilities, the types of procedures provided, and whether it provides care to patients under the age of 18.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates about 93 million adults in the United States are affected by obesity and that number continues to increase. The disease of obesity increases the risks of morbidity and mortality because of the diseases and conditions that are commonly associated with it, such as type II diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, among other health risks. Metabolic and bariatric surgery has proven to be effective in the reduction of comorbid conditions related to obesity. * Working together, the ACS and the ASMBS have developed accreditation standards for metabolic and bariatric surgery to assist patients with obesity in identifying centers that provide optimal patient care.