Locate COE

  
 

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2011

Two Brazilian Hospitals and Seven Surgeons
Awarded Center of Excellence Designation for Bariatric Surgery

Brazilian Society Recognizes Designees for High-Quality Bariatric Patient Care

RALEIGH, NC (November 9, 2011) – Surgical Review Corporation (SRC), an independent healthcare quality organization and leading administrator of center of excellence programs for the bariatric and metabolic specialty, today announced two hospitals and seven surgeons that have achieved the center of excellence designation from the Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Bariátrica e Metabólica (SBCBM). Hospital São Luiz Unidade Itaim and four of its surgeons as well as Hospital São Luiz Unidade Morumbi and three of its surgeons successfully completed a rigorous review process to ensure compliance with the requirements for SBCBM designation.

The SBCBM center of excellence program, which is administered by SRC, ensures that the safest, highest quality care is available to patients who choose to have their bariatric procedure performed in Brazil. The SBCBM designation, awarded at the same time to individual surgeons and the facility in which they perform bariatric procedures, was awarded to Hospital São Luiz Unidade Itaim and the following surgeons:

  • Dr. Roberto Rizzi is the former general secretary of the Sociedade Brasileira de Video Cirurgia São Paulo and has performed more than 3,000 laparoscopic bariatric surgeries.
  • Dr. Marcelo Roque de Oliveira and Dr. Alexandre Amado Elias are both members of the Instituto Garrido, a surgical group of medical professionals that has performed more than 8,000 bariatric surgeries.
  • Dr. Marcelo Salem is the coordinator of the Centro de Cirurgia Avançada and was one of the first Brazilian doctors to peform bariatric surgery using the single-port method.

Three surgeons at Hospital São Luiz Unidade Morumbi also earned SBCBM designation:

  • Dr. Thomas Szego is the former president of the SBCBM and the first doctor in Brazil to perform a laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
  • Dr. Almino Ramos is the founder of the Gastro Obeso Center and is credited with developing the simplified laparoscopic gastric bypass procedure.
  • Dr. Alexander Charles Morrell was voted “one of the most admired” laparoscopic and digestive system physicians in Brazil by his medical colleagues in the March 2009 issue of Editorial Review magazine.

“With the recent decision from the Agência Nacional de Saúde Suplementar (ANS) mandating healthcare coverage for specific bariatric surgery procedures, earning SBCBM designation is an even more important achievement for our centers,” said Dr. Ricardo Cohen, SBCBM President. “As patients become aware that their surgeries must be covered by private insurance plans, they will seek the best Brazilian hospitals and surgeons to perform their surgery and use the SBCBM designation as a guide when selecting a provider.”

Every SBCBM designee automatically earns a dual designation with SRC’s International Center of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery™ (ICE™) program. Alignment of requirements between the two programs makes this possible. The ICE program is endorsed by the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO), which represents more than 40 national associations of bariatric surgeons.

“Our newest designees are among the top bariatric surgeons and hospitals in Brazil,” said Dr. Neil Hutcher, SRC Chief Medical Officer. “Their participation only strengthens the SBCBM program and demonstrates a commitment to quality improvement that will help deliver superior healthcare and increase patient satisfaction. We encourage other outstanding Brazilian surgeons and hospitals to apply for the SBCBM designation and join their distinguished colleagues already participating in this important program.”

The Brazilian centers are part of an international network of more than 1,100 surgeons and 600 hospitals and freestanding outpatient facilities worldwide participating in a center of excellence program that SRC administers.

About the Brazilian Society of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery
Established in 1999, the Brazilian Society of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery (SBCBM) is the world’s second-largest society dedicated to the bariatric surgery specialty. The SBCBM launched its center of excellence program in mid-2010, and designed it specifically for Brazilian surgeons – and their hospitals – that are full titular members in good standing with the society. The SBCBM is co-publisher of Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases (SOARD) and Brazilian Archives of Digestive Surgery (ABCD). For more information about the SBCBM, visit www.sbcbm.org.br (http://www NULL.sbcbm NULL.org NULL.br/).

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 surgical care worldwide. Initially focused on bariatric and metabolic surgery, SRC has emerged as a leading administrator of center of excellence programs for surgical specialties. The organization manages programs on behalf of top medical societies around the world, setting a global standard for excellence. To support center of excellence program compliance and quality improvement in patient care, SRC developed BOLD, a longitudinal outcomes database. BOLD is now the world’s largest repository of clinical patient data for the bariatric surgery specialty. For more information, visit www.surgicalreview.org.

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

 

###