(HERRIN, IL) New Life Weight Loss Center at Herrin Hospital is now the first and only accredited Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence in a 90-mile radius.
The prestigious three-year accreditation by the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) recognizes both excellence in surgery and consistent quality of care provided at the center. The accomplishment is significant as it opens new doors to Medicare patients requiring weight loss surgery.
The honor coincides with an additional accomplishment: completion of the surgeons’ 500th surgery in the three years since the inception of the program.
“We have worked hard as a team for the last few years to meet and surpass all of the quality standards related to safety, proficiency and volume, required by ASMBS,” said Heather Fear, bariatric program coordinator for Herrin Hospital. “New Life Weight Loss Center sailed through the extensive approval process, including a stringent on-site inspection of the facility.”
Deepu Sudhakaran, bariatric (weight loss) surgeon and partner at New Life Weight Loss Center, said with the new accreditation, they are now able to provide much-needed bariatric services to the Medicare population.
“The Center of Excellence award is a quality marker that tells patients they can expect the same, high-quality national standard of service here in Herrin that they would receive in big-city hospitals,” Sudhakaran said. “Our program is comprehensive in every way and truly changes lives.”
Naresh Ahuja, bariatric (weight loss) surgeon and medical director of New Life Weight Loss Center, noted that weight loss is not just a matter of getting the surgery done.
“It’s a matter of choosing a skilled surgeon practicing in a center with robust pre and post- operative support systems in place,” Ahuja said. “Our program offers a full range of proven, medically based, weight loss and weight loss surgery solutions. In the three years since the inception of our program, we have consistently delivered safe, effective evidence-based care to all of our patients.”
“I congratulate Southern Illinois Healthcare, our team and patients who have been instrumental in helping us achieve this milestone,” Ahuja said.
About the Center of Excellence Program
The ASMBS Bariatric Center of Excellence program helps bariatric surgeons continuously improve care quality and patient safety. To achieve this honor, the New Life Weight Loss Center provided information on all aspects of their bariatric surgery program and processes, including data on surgical outcomes.
About New Life Weight Loss Center
New Life Weight Loss Center is a bariatric surgery service line for Herrin Hospital. The center has a multidisciplinary team made up on two bariatric surgeons, a physician assistant, trained nurses, registered dietitians and a medical assistant, who work together to provide top-of-the-line, evidence-based bariatric care.
The center offers three types of weight loss surgery: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy and adjustable gastric banding (lap band). In addition, the center also offers redo bariatric surgeries.
Call 1-888-639-0033 or 618-988-6171 to register for a free informational seminar on the process and life changing benefits of bariatric surgery.
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