The bariatric surgery program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital has received accreditation as a Level I facility, the highest level that can be achieved under the Bariatric Surgery Center Network (BSCN) Accreditation Program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). The accreditation demonstrates UAB’s commitment to delivering the highest quality care for its bariatric surgery patients.
To earn and keep this designation, UAB must meet essential criteria and continue to ensure its ability to support a bariatric surgical care program and the institutional performance requirements outlined by the BSCN Accreditation Standards. Those include providing both the hospital resources necessary for optimal care of morbidly obese patients, as well as the support and resources necessary to address the entire spectrum of care and needs of bariatric patients, both pre- and postoperative. UAB was required to undergo a site visit that reviewed the hospital’s structure, process and data quality, as optimal surgical care requires documentation using reliable outcomes measures. Accredited bariatric surgery centers are required to report outcomes data to the MBSAQIP Data Registry Platform.