Saint Clare’s Dover Hospital Achieves Additional National Accreditation from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program

Saint Clare’s Health Dover Hospital now meets all criteria as an Adolescent Bariatric Center 

Dover, NJ (March 25, 2019) – 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 Morris County and Sussex County area. This now extends to adolescents. Saint Clare’s Dover Hospital is the only hospital in the area to achieve such recognition for both adolescent and adult bariatrics.

Alexander Abkin, MD, FACS (Fellow of the American College of Surgeons), Medical Director of the Weight Loss Surgery Program at Saint Clare’s Health, today announced its bariatric surgery program has been accredited as a Comprehensive with Adolescent Qualifications Center 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 MBSAQIP Standards, outlined in the Resources for Optimal Care of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Patient 2016 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 obese patients.

“Childhood and adolescent obesity is an epidemic in the United States. Rates of diabetes, heart disease, and other obesity-related conditions have been on the rise for several years now. This is largely due to obesity forming habits in childhood that carry on into adulthood,” said Dr. Abkin. “For children, between the ages of 16 and 18, that are already dealing with the challenges of obesity and the effects, Saint Clare’s is pleased to offer a multi-disciplinary management team and bariatric surgery program accredited as adolescent centers by the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery to assist teens and their families in living a healthier life and reducing the diseases caused by obesity,” he added.

Saint Clare’s commitment to quality care begins with appropriately trained staff and the leadership surgeons who participate in meetings throughout the year to review outcomes.  They seek continuous improvement to enhance the structure, process and outcomes of the center. The team is also dedicated to the patient and their families and offers life-long support before, during and after the surgery.

“This is further testimony to Saint Clare’s Health’s commitment to high quality and compassionate care for all who enter our doors,” said Brian Finestein, CEO. “As an award-winning community hospital, we are dedicated to improving the health and lives of those we serve.  This accreditation shows the commitment of our staff to serve the young members of our community and help them to live healthy and fulfilling lives.”

To earn the MBSAQIP designation, Saint Clare’s Health Dover Hospital 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. The standards are specified in the MBSAQIP Resources for Optimal Care of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Patient 2016, published by the ACS and ASMBS.

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. Centers are awarded a specific designation depending on how many patients it serves annually, the type of procedures it provides, and whether it provides care for patients under age 18.

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.* Working with ASMBS, the ACS expanded this quality program for bariatric surgery centers so that it can assist bariatric patients in identifying those centers that provide optimal surgical care.

For patients, choosing an MBSAQIP® Center means you will receive compassionate care by physicians who meet bariatric surgery criteria set by both the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

About Saint Clare’s Health

Saint Clare’s Health is an award-winning provider of safe, high quality, compassionate care, serving the communities of Morris and Sussex counties. Its network of hospitals and healthcare facilities include Denville Hospital, Dover Hospital, Behavioral Health centers in Boonton, Denville, and Parsippany, and an Imaging Center in Parsippany, among other satellite locations. To learn more visit SainClares.com and Like Us on Facebook.

Saint Clare’s Health is Joint Commission accredited and Saint Clare’s Denville Hospital has been recognized by the following third-party organizations:

• Add 5 Star
• Leapfrog A Rating for Patient Safety
• Named among the top 5% in the nation for patient safety in 2018
• Named among the top 5% in the nation for Coronary Interventional Procedures in 2019
• Joint Commission Disease Specific Certification for Hip & Knee Replacement and Stroke
• One of HealthGrade America’s 100 Best Orthopedic Surgery for two years in a row (2018-2019)
• One of HealthGrade America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention in 2019
• Recipient of the following HealthGrade Five Star recognitions:  Hip Fracture Treatment, Total Knee Replacement, Coronary Intervention Excellence, Coronary Interventional Procedures, Pacemaker Procedures, Treatment of Stroke, Treatment of Pneumonia, Gallbladder Surgery, Appendectomy, Treatment of Sepsis, C-Section, Gynecologic Procedures, Hysterectomy
• Recipient of other HealthGrade recognitions: Patient Safety Excellent Award Winner 2018, Gynecologic Procedures Excellence Award in 2018
• Recognized by Leapfrog in partners with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Hospital Recognition Program
• American Heart Association recognitions:
  • Get With the Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award
  • Target Stroke Honor Roll Elite Award
  • Mission: Lifeline® STEMI Receiving Center – Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award 2018
• Three Year Accreditation Award with Commendation by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer
• Following accreditations by the American College of Radiology (ACR):  Accreditation in Radiation Oncology, Accreditation Breast Imaging Center of Excellence
• American Association of Cardiovascular Pulmonary Rehab Certification
• Accredited Echocardiology Laboratory by the Intersocietal Commission for Accreditation of Echocardiology Laboratories
• Accredited Echocardiology Laboratory by the Intersocietal Commission for Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories
• International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners Care Award
• Pathway to Excellence designation by the American Nurses Credential Center (ANCC) 2018-2022
• 2017 Women’s Choice Award by America’s Best Hospital Patient Safety

Saint Clare’s Dover Hospital has received the following:

• Add 5 Star
• Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQUP) Comprehensive Center designation Joint Commission Accredited
• Leapfrog A Rating for Patient Safety
• Joint Commission Disease-Specific Certification for Stroke
• Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award 2016 and 2018
• American Academy of Sleep Medicine Accreditation
• American Heart Association accreditations:
  • Get With the Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award
  • Target Stroke Honor Roll Elite Award
  • Mission:  Lifeline® STEMI Receiving Center Bronze Plus 2017 Quality Achievement Award
• American College of Radiology Accreditation Breast Imaging Center of Excellence®
• Pathway to Excellence designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) 2018-2022
• 2017 Women’s Choice Award by America’s Best Hospitals for Patient Safety

About the American College of Surgeons

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical education and practice and to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient. Its achievements have placed it at the forefront of American surgery and have made the College an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 80,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.

About the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, founded in 1983, was formed to advance the art and science of metabolic and bariatric surgery by continually improving the quality and safety of care and treatment of people with obesity and related diseases through educational and support programs for surgeons and integrated health professionals.

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*Buchwald H, Avidor Y, Braunwald E, et al. Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA. 2004;292(14):1724-1737. DOI:10.1001/jama.292.14.1724.