Prior to applying for Full Approval status, the Center must
first have been granted Provisional Status. While Provisional Status is based
on the adequacy of resources, Full Approval is based on the achievement of
acceptable outcomes.
SRC anticipates developing additional guidelines and criteria for Full Approval
as a freestanding outpatient International Center of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery (ICE) based on outcomes data reported by program participants
and by other databases. Future applications for Full Approval as well as
renewal applications will be required to meet any outcomes data requirements
and guidelines which may be in place at the time of application or renewal.
The application for Full Approval as a SRC freestanding ICE requests:
-
Information to assure that the requirements for Provisional Status remain
satisfied.
-
Information regarding the patient populations, the operations performed, and
their outcomes.
Full Approval requires a site inspection. The process is initiated once the application for Full Approval has been received by SRC. Nurses trained and experienced in bariatric surgery who are full-time employees of SRC conduct the inspections following a prescribed protocol that includes:
- A careful review of the facilities.
- Interviews with the staff and key leaders of the facility.
- Random chart reviews
The purpose of the site inspection is to gather data, not to
make judgments. The information collected during the site inspection is then
submitted to the International Bariatric Surgery Review Committee (IBSRC) for review with the
Full Approval application. If the guidelines for Full Approval have been met,
approval is granted for a term of three years.
Programs that fail to maintain standards may be placed on Probationary Status.
If the deficits are not corrected or if there are egregious findings, the IBSRC
may also recommend to the SRC Board of Directors that the designation as a
freestanding ICE be revoked.
If a program disagrees with the decisions of the IBSRC, it can appeal the matter
to the Board of Directors.
The Full Approval application process to become a SRC freestanding ICE involves the following steps:
| 1. |
The center and its surgeons
continue to meet the criteria required for Provisional Status and fully comply
with the 13 requirements for Provisional Status.
|
| 2. |
Any deficiencies noted during the Provisional Status
review have been corrected. |
| 3. |
A complete and accurate description of changes in the
institution or the staff (since the Provisional Status application) has been
submitted to the IBSRC.
|
| 4. |
A list of the academic activities of the surgeons
including grants obtained, papers published, presentations, participation in
courses, etc. has been provided. |
| 5. |
The surgeon must be or have been certified, or be currently board eligible by the National Board of Surgery of the country in which he or she is practicing. (You will be asked to provide your qualifications, credentials and CME demonstrating expertise in the field of bariatric surgery.) |
| 6. |
Outcomes data for bariatric surgery are reported in an
anonymous fashion in accordance with HIPAA regulations. Outcomes data must
include a list of all bariatric surgical operations performed within the
previous 12-month period including the following information (partial list):
-
Age
-
Gender
-
Weight
-
Height
-
BMI
-
Comorbidities
-
Procedure
-
Length of Stay
-
Complications including mortality, readmissions within 30 days of discharge,
re-operations within 30 days after the initial operation
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