National Accreditation Achieved by Foothill Regional Medical Center for Weight-Loss Surgery

South Orange County residents seeking surgical treatment for obesity and its related conditions have a nationally recognized choice for receiving treatment at Foothill Regional Medical Center. Some 15.5 million people in the U.S. suffer from severe obesity and the numbers continue to increase, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Foothill Regional’s surgical weight-loss program has been accredited as a Comprehensive Center for Bariatric Surgery 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).

“This accreditation is an affirmation of the hard work and dedication of our surgeons, nurses and staff, as well as their commitment to ensuring that every patient who comes to us for weight-loss surgery receives the highest-quality, compassionate care,” said Dr. Atif Iqbal, medical director of Foothill Regional’s surgical weight-loss program.

“We are proud of this prestigious accreditation earned by our surgical weight-loss program,” added Araceli Lonergan, hospital CEO. “This is a great example of the nationally recognized care we provide to residents of Tustin and our surrounding communities.”

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 severely obese patients.

Foothill Regional’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.

To earn the MBSAQIP designation, Foothill Regional 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.

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.

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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.

About Foothill Regional Medical Center

Foothill Regional Medical Center is a general acute care hospital with 177 beds, including 42 pediatric subacute beds. The hospital offers a range of quality medical services and programs and has been extensively remodeled and upgraded to provide a restful, healing environment. Services provided by the hospital includes emergency and inpatient and outpatient surgical services. Patient satisfaction scores for the hospital’s ER are at the 90th percentile and higher.

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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