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| IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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Contact: Alyssa Willard
Manager, Media and Communications
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| July 2, 2009 |
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919.792.1717
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SRC Designates First International Centers of Excellence
for Bariatric Surgery
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RALEIGH, NC
— Surgical Review
Corporation (SRC), an independent, non-profit organization that
advances the safety, efficacy and efficiency of bariatric and metabolic
surgery, today announced the first two centers to achieve the
International Center of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery (ICE)
designation. South West Regional Bariatric Center, based in Musgrove
Park Hospital, Taunton, Somerset, U.K., and Imperial Weight Centre at
Charing Cross Hospital, located in London, successfully completed the
rigorous ICE review and site inspection process required for
designation.
SRC created the ICE program to ensure that the safest, highest quality
care is delivered to bariatric surgery patients, regardless of where
they elect to have their procedure performed. ICE establishes
guidelines and criteria for evaluating bariatric surgical practices
around the world and employs a systematic approach to ensure these
standards are upheld. The facilities and surgical processes of the two
U.K.-based centers were closely examined for compliance with the
stringent ICE requirements and underwent a thorough site inspection.
Musgrove Park Hospital began providing bariatric surgery service in
2003; it is currently the largest obesity surgery service in South West
England. The Imperial Weight Centre at Charing Cross Hospital comprises
a range of specialists who provide a completely holistic service to
patients. These two centers are now part of an elite group of more than
350 hospitals and freestanding facilities worldwide that have earned an
excellence designation from SRC.
“We are very pleased to be awarded international center of
excellence status,” said Mr. Richard Welbourn, Medical Director
of Bariatric Surgery at Musgrove Park Hospital. “This is a
benchmark level of standards for bariatric surgery and the cumulative
result of a huge degree of commitment from all levels of the
organization in developing a first-class service for the needs of our
patients. We are proud of the team of physicians, dietitians,
specialist nurses, anesthesiologists and hospital management who have
worked together to make our bariatric service possible.”
Mr. Ahmed R. Ahmed, consultant bariatric surgeon at Imperial Weight
Centre, commented, “We are delighted to receive such prestigious
international recognition. Being designated as a global center of
excellence is a testament to the quality of care and surgical success
of the Imperial Weight Centre. We are at the forefront of developments
in bariatric surgery and metabolic medicine.”
The International Bariatric Surgery Review Committee (IBSRC), comprised
of top bariatric surgeons from around the world, governs ICE and
reviews applications. The IBSRC provides recommendations for ICE
implementation and makes any necessary changes to ICE requirements and
interpretive guidelines to accommodate international applicants.
“By establishing consistent, global standards for bariatric
surgery centers of excellence, SRC is helping to ensure that patients
receive optimal care and achieve the best outcomes,” said Raul
Rosenthal, M.D., Chairman of IBSRC and a bariatric surgeon at Cleveland
Clinic in Weston, Florida. “These standards are the highest
– and the toughest – in the industry. Earning the ICE
designation is no easy task, but it is achievable. The two U.K. centers
withstood the ICE challenge and successfully demonstrated their
commitment to delivering exceptional care to bariatric surgery
patients.”
About Surgical Review
Corporation
Surgical Review Corporation (SRC) is an independent, non-profit
organization governed by industry stakeholders and dedicated to
advancing the safety, efficacy and efficiency of bariatric and
metabolic surgical care worldwide. To accelerate best practices
development for the treatment of morbid obesity and its associated
conditions, SRC launched center of excellence programs for bariatric
surgery and developed the Bariatric Outcomes Longitudinal Database
(BOLD). SRC has already designated nearly 650 surgeons as well as more
than 350 hospitals and freestanding outpatient facilities, and BOLD is
now the world’s largest repository of clinical bariatric surgery
patient data. For more information, visit surgicalreview.org.
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