Saint Luke’s South Hospital Achieves National Accreditation from MBSAQIP

Patients seeking surgical treatment for severe obesity and its related conditions 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 greater Kansas City area. 

John M. Price, M.D., medical director of Saint Luke’s Center for Surgical Weight Loss, announces its Overland Park location at Saint Luke’s South Hospital is now accredited under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), a joint program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). The Center’s flagship location at Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City earned accreditation in 2008 and again in 2014.

The MBSAQIP Standards ensure that bariatric surgical patients receive a multidisciplinary program, not just a surgical procedure, which improves patient outcomes and long-term success. The accredited center offers preoperative and postoperative care designed specifically for their severely obese patients.

“At Saint Luke’s, patients access a high level of pre- and post-op support under one roof,” said Dr. Price. “They work not only with a surgeon, but also a nurse coordinator, a dietitian, an exercise physiologist, a psychologist, support group, and more.”

To earn the MBSAQIP designation, Saint Luke’s Center for Surgical Weight Loss met essential criteria for staffing, training, and facility infrastructure and protocols for care, ensuring its ability to support patients with severe obesity. 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. 

After submitting an application, centers seeking MBSAQIP Accreditation undergo an extensive site visit by an experienced bariatric surgeon, who reviews the center's structure, process, and clinical outcomes data.

In the United States, around 15.5 million people suffer from severe obesity, according to the National Institutes of Health, and the numbers continue to increase. 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, and cardiovascular disease, among other health risks. Metabolic and bariatric surgical procedures have proven to be effective in the reduction of comorbid conditions related to severe obesity.

Learn more about Saint Luke's Center for Surgical Weight Loss.