Jersey Shore University Medical Center's bariatric surgery program has been accredited as a Level 2 facility under the Bariatric Surgery Center Network (BSCN) Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). The accreditation demonstrates the hospital's commitment to providing the highest quality care for bariatric surgery patients.
Accredited bariatric surgery centers provide resources for optimal care of morbidly obese patients, as well as pre and postoperative support. To earn the accreditation, Jersey Shore met the essential criteria that ensure its ability to support a bariatric surgical care program and the institutional performance requirements outlined by the BSCN Accreditation Standards.
In the United States, more than 15 million people suffer from severe obesity, 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. At the present time, weight-loss surgery provides the only effective, lasting relief from severe obesity. Therefore, the ACS believes it is of utmost importance to extend its quality initiatives to accrediting bariatric surgery centers so that it can assist the public in identifying those facilities that provide optimal surgical care for patients who undergo this surgical procedure.
Seth Kipnis, M.D., FACS, director of Bariatric Surgery at Jersey Shore and clinical assistant professor of Surgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, says "the American College of Surgeons accreditation confirms that Jersey Shore's Bariatric Surgery program is among the best in the country. Our team of experts provides the full spectrum of care for bariatric patients, including pre-op, surgery, dietary support, resources, and follow up - all of which help contribute to long term success."
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