Second Location Receives Bariatric Program Accreditation

Kansas City, Kan. — The University of Kansas Health System’s bariatric surgery program at Bell Hospital Tower at 39th Avenue and Cambridge Street in Kansas City, Kansas  recently received 3-year accreditation from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program. This accreditation is a joint effort of the American College of Surgeons Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Adding procedures at Bell Hospital Tower and achieving accreditation at a second health system location — our Indian Creek Campus was accredited in 2012 — has broadened access for people who are candidates for bariatric procedures.

“Receiving accreditation reflects our excellence in bariatric surgical procedures, patient outcomes and long-term success,” says Bobi McCumber, RN, clinical program coordinator for Bariatric Surgery and Metabolic Care. “It acknowledges our commitment to providing and supporting quality improvement and patient safety efforts for our patients.”

The accreditation of the program is evidence of the hard work and dedication of the Bariatric Surgery and Metabolic Care team, which has worked to continually advance the program. For years, the team has performed procedures and cared for people on Indian Creek Campus, which received its accreditation from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program in 2021.

An MBSAQIP accreditation not only promotes uniform standard benchmarks – it also supports continuous quality improvement. In 2021, the health system’s Bariatric Surgery and Metabolic Care team implemented a hydration motivation project. The goal of the project was to ensure people understood the importance of hydration following their procedure. Each person who had a bariatric procedure received a self-tracking sheet to help them make sure they hydrated appropriately.

The 2022 quality improvement initiative focused on high-risk patients. To help decrease complications, these people received specialty consultations during their inpatient stays as well as postsurgical follow-ups to assess their needs after they returned home. 

“Having accreditation means more medical insurance payers will be willing to cover the cost of care,” says McCumber. Our program is hopeful this designation will allow more people the opportunity to consider a bariatric procedure.