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IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 31, 2009

First Asian-Pacific International Center of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery Designated by SRC

SRC Forms Asian-Pacific Review Committee for International Center of Excellence Program

RALEIGH, NC (December 31, 2009) — Surgical Review Corporation (SRC), an independent, nonprofit organization that advances the safety, efficacy and efficiency of bariatric and metabolic surgery, today announced E-Da Hospital, located in Taiwan, and Dr. Chih-Kun Huang as the first Asian-Pacific International Center of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery (ICE). The ICE designation, awarded to both the surgeon and the facility at which the surgery is performed, signifies that these providers are committed to delivering the highest quality of bariatric surgical patient care. E-Da Hospital and Dr. Huang are now part of the international network of excellence formed by the nearly 700 surgeons and 400 facilities worldwide that have met SRC’s designation requirements, considered the most rigorous and comprehensive in the industry.

E-Da Hospital at I-Shou University in Kaohsiung County, Taiwan, established its bariatric surgery program in 2005 and is recognized for performing the world’s first single-incision transumbilical laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and adjustable gastric band procedures. The hospital was also the first in south Taiwan to achieve Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation. To celebrate its ICE designation, E-Da Hospital will host an opening ceremony and forum on January 20, 2010, at its Bariatric & Metabolic International Surgery Center. Dr. Neil Hutcher, Chairman of the SRC Board of Directors and a bariatric surgeon at Commonwealth Surgeons in Richmond, Virginia, will speak during the forum.

“We are honored to receive the designation and host the first Asian-Pacific ICE designation opening ceremony and forum,” said Dr. Huang, Director of the Bariatric & Metabolic International Surgery Center at E-Da Hospital. “It’s truly a remarkable achievement for us to help establish the foundation for improving bariatric surgery quality in the Asia-Pacific region.”

To govern the ICE program in Asia-Pacific, SRC established an International Bariatric Surgery Review Committee (IBSRC) for the region. The Asian-Pacific IBSRC joins the 18-member Latin American IBSRC formed earlier this year. These regional committees are charged with reviewing applications to the ICE program, providing recommendations for regional ICE implementation, and evaluating modifications to program requirements appropriate for a specific country or area. Committee members are actively practicing bariatric surgeons selected based on their experience, international reputation as leaders in bariatric and metabolic surgery, and geographic representation. The following surgeons have been appointed to the Asian-Pacific IBSRC:

  • Roy Brancatisano, MBBS – Institute of Weight Control in Sydney, Australia
  • Ramen Goel, MBBS – Bariatric Surgeon at Bombay Hospital and Wockhardt Hospital in Mumbai, India
  • Jeffrey Hamdorf, MBBS, PhD – Winthrop Professor of Surgical Education and Director, Clinical Training and Evaluation Centre, at the University of Western Australia in Crawley, Australia
  • Kazunori Kasama, MD – Director, Department of Weight Loss Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, at the Yotsuya Medical Cube in Tokyo, Japan
  • Shashank Shah, MBBS – Director of the Laparo Obeso Centre in Pune, India
  • Fred Chengzhu Zheng, MD – Chairman of Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery at Shanghai Changhai Hospital in Shanghai, China

“ICE’s core requirements have universal relevance, which has enabled SRC to create the global standard of excellence,” said Dr. Raul Rosenthal, Chairman of the IBSRC and a bariatric surgeon at Cleveland Clinic in Weston, Florida. “However, SRC recognizes that the program must reflect regional nuances. To address these differences, SRC appointed the world’s leading bariatric surgeons to its IBSRCs. These individuals possess extensive knowledge of regional regulations and issues related to the delivery of excellent bariatric surgical care across the globe.”

About Surgical Review Corporation

Surgical Review Corporation (SRC) is an independent, nonprofit organization governed by industry stakeholders and dedicated to advancing the safety, efficacy and efficiency of bariatric and metabolic surgical care worldwide. To support 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 700 surgeons and 400 hospitals and freestanding outpatient facilities across the globe, and BOLD is now the world’s largest repository of clinical bariatric surgery patient data. For more information, visit surgicalreview.org

Contact

Alyssa Willard
Manager, Media and Communications
919.792.1717
alyssa.willard@surgicalreview.org (alyssa NULL.willard null@null surgicalreview NULL.org)