Children's National achieves national accreditation from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program

WASHINGTON - Adolescents seeking surgical treatment for severe obesity and its related conditions now can receive treatment at a nationally accredited program that meets the highest standards for patient safety and quality of care in the greater Washington, DC area. Children’s National Health System’s Bariatric Surgery Program has been accredited by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP®), a joint program of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. The designation makes Children’s National one of the first children’s hospitals to receive such accreditation, and the only hospital in the area to be accredited to perform bariatric surgery on adolescents.

“Gaining this accreditation underscores the core strengths of our program, and the right for adolescents to get this surgery,” says Evan Nadler, M.D., Surgeon and Co-Director, Children’s National Obesity Institute, “I have been passionately advocating for this right, and I am proud that this ambition has been realized today by Children’s National.”

To earn the MBSAQIP designation, Children’s National met essential criteria for staffing, training, facility infrastructure and protocols for care, ensuring its ability to support patients with severe obesity. The program 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.

Children’s National Adolescent Bariatric Surgery Progam has conducted 175 bariatric surgeries since the program’s inception in 2010.  Even before the accreditation, the number of operations  has increased each year, and Dr. Nadler expects that the accreditation will continue the exponential growth.

“Since the surgical program’s inception seven years ago, Dr. Nadler has had both a special clinical interest and research focus on the care and treatment of this vulnerable patient population,” commented Anthony Sandler, M.D., Senior Vice President and Surgeon-in-Chief Joseph E. Robert, Jr., Center for Surgical Care, at Children’s National. “In partnership with the Goldberg Center’s  IDEAL medical weight management program and the hospital’s Quality Department, Dr. Nadler and Program Manager Jen Fritzeen, M.S.N., R.N., reached this milestone accreditation by shepherding the demanding application process and on-site review.”

Childhood obesity is a complex condition that dramatically increases the risk for other serious health problems such as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease, among other health risks. Bariatric surgery is a group of procedures that, combined with lifestyle changes, can help adolescents achieve improved health status and a healthier weight.

Contact: Hani Ukayli at 202-476-4500

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.