Carteret's Weight Loss Surgery Center a Comprehensive Bariatric Surgery Center

Carteret Health Care is pleased to announce that its Weight Loss Surgery Center has been fully accredited as a metabolic and bariatric surgical center. The Center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP®) is a joint program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

Tara Beth Anderson MSN, RN, NE-BC, Director of Medical, Surgical & Orthopedics shared, “We are proud of our outstanding outcomes and care at Carteret Health Care. Together with our physicians, we provide comprehensive services for patients to not only lose weight, but to make lifestyle changes to improve their complete quality of life.”

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 eastern North Carolina region.

The MBSAQIP Standards, outlined in the Resources for Optimal Care of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Patient 2014 ensure that bariatric surgical patients receive a multi-disciplinary 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 severely obese patients.

Physician leaders of the Weight Loss Surgery Center are Dr. John “Ted” Johnson and Dr. Juozas Zavadzkas, both American Board Certified surgeons. Both bariatric surgeons demonstrate the willingness to take the extra step by offering free monthly seminars to ensure that patents are educated and engaged in their overall health. Benefits to patient’s health can include a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis and cancer. There is also noted improvement in obesity related diseases such as high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes and sleep apnea. Many patients are able to reduce or even discontinue current medications for these conditions.

Carteret Health Care’s commitment to quality care begins with appropriately trained staff and the leadership surgeons who participate in meetings throughout the year to review its outcomes. They seek continuous improvement to enhance the structure, process and outcomes of the center.

Anderson continued, “Attention to quality and patient experience during the weight loss journey are important to our team as we guide patients and help them meet their goals before, during, and after weight loss surgery. We are proud of the entire bariatric team for their efforts to truly change and enhance the quality of life for each and every patient.”

To earn the MBSAQIP designation, Carteret Health Care’s Center for Weight Loss Center 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 2014, 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.

Anderson concludes, “Our clinical team are proud to support this weight loss program as a fundamental part of our Carteret community.”