Mease Dunedin’s Bariatric Program Receives National Accreditation

Program offers patient-centered, multidisciplinary care, and quality 

DUNEDIN, Fla., (August 20, 2015) - Mease Dunedin Hospital’s  Bariatric Program has been accredited as a Comprehensive Center in recognition of the program’s commitment to providing and supporting quality improvement and patient safety efforts for metabolic and bariatric surgery patients.

The designation has been made by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), the nation’s accreditation standard for bariatric surgery centers.

“This achievement recognizes our commitment to providing patient-centered, high-quality care by a multidisciplinary team,” said Lou Galdieri, President of Mease Hospitals. “As our patients work with our program to determine their weight loss options, they can do so knowing that our bariatric surgery program meets the nation’s highest standards of care for these procedures.”

Bariatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the causes, prevention, and treatment of obesity. Dieting, exercise, weight loss behavioral therapy, drug therapy, and weight loss surgery are all components of the bariatric field.

“Although diet, exercise, behavior therapy and anti-obesity drugs are usually first-choice weight loss treatments, surgery can be the best option for some patients,” said Dr. Ted Small, a bariatric surgeon and medical director of the program. “Weight loss surgery generally results in greater weight loss than conventional treatments, leads to better quality of life and less obesity-related diseases.”

To receive the accreditation, Mease Dunedin’s bariatric surgical center underwent a rigorous review process during which it proved that it can maintain certain physical resources, human resources, and standards of practice. As part of its accreditation, the center will report its outcomes to the MBSAQIP database.

The MBSAQIP is the result of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) combining their respective national bariatric surgery accreditation programs into a single unified program to achieve one national accreditation standard for bariatric surgery center.

About Mease Dunedin Hospital
Established in 1937, Mease Dunedin Hospital is a 143-bed facility committed to improving the health of everyone it serves. Mease Dunedin was recognized as an industry leader in congestive heart care when it received the Premier Award for Quality from Premier Healthcare Informatics, a national alliance of not-for-profit hospitals and health care systems. Other recent designations include receiving the EPA’s ENERGY STAR award for superior energy efficiency and The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Spine Care and its Primary Stroke Center.  Mease Dunedin Hospital is located at 601 Main St., Dunedin, Fla. For more information about Mease Dunedin, call (727) 733-1111 or visit www.measedunedin.org. 

About BayCare Health System
BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 13 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. Inpatient and outpatient services include acute care, primary care, imaging, laboratory, behavioral health, home care, and wellness. Our mission is to improve the health of all we serve through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information, visit BayCare on the Web at www.BayCare.org.