(New Brunswick, NJ) - Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital’s (RWJUH) Bariatric Surgery Program has been named a MBSAQIP (Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program) Center of Excellence by the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and American College of Surgeons.
This is the third MBASQIP designation for the program. MBSAQIP accredits inpatient and outpatient bariatric surgery centers in the U.S. and Canada that have undergone an independent, voluntary, and rigorous peer evaluation in accordance with nationally recognized bariatric surgical standards. The MBSAQIP Standards, Optimal Resources for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, ensure that metabolic and bariatric patients receive multidisciplinary medical care, which improves patient outcomes and long-term success. MBSAQIP-Accredited centers offer preoperative and postoperative care designed specifically for patients with obesity.
“We’re proud to earn this prestigious designation for the third time,” said Ragui Sadek, MD, FACS, Chief of the Bariatric Service Line for RWJBarnabas Health and Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “Our program remains committed to meeting the individual needs of our patients and developing personalized plans for them to achieve their individual weight-loss goals and return to active, healthy lives. We care for the whole patient by offering education and support both pre- and post-surgery. This approach combined with the expertise of our surgeons makes our program uniquely qualified to care for even the most high-risk bariatric surgery patients.”
To earn MBSAQIP Accreditation, RWJUH met essential criteria for staffing, training, facility infrastructure and patient care pathways, ensuring its ability to support patients with obesity. The center also participates in a national data registry that yields semiannual reports on the quality of its surgical outcomes and identifying opportunities for quality improvement. The MBSAQIP Standards, Optimal Resources for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, are published by the ACS and the ASMBS.The Bariatric Surgery Center at RWJUH offers a comprehensive medical and surgical program dedicated to making a lifestyle change. The RWJUH bariatric surgery program not only includes surgical options, but provides metabolic medicine and addresses individuals’ weight loss goals with medical and nutritional therapy.
In addition to the MBSAQIP designation, RWJUH has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for its Bariatric Surgery Program by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety in disease-specific care. The certification award recognizes RWJUH’s dedication to continuous compliance with The Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards. RWJUH is one of only seven programs in the U.S. to achieve this certification.
The program has also achieved the 2023 Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award™ from Healthgrades for the five consecutive years. Healthgrades Specialty Excellence Awards recognize the top 10 percent of hospitals across the country based on superior patient outcomes. The hospital also received a five-star rating from Healthgrades in Overall Bariatric Surgery for the fifth year in a row.
For a referral to a bariatric specialist, visit www.rwjbh.org.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), an RWJBarnabas Health Facility, is a 640-bed academic medical center that is New Jersey’s largest academic medical center through its deep partnership with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. RWJUH is the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and other Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, orthopedics, bariatric surgery and women’s and children’s care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). A Level 1 Trauma Center and the first designated Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.
RWJUH has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety, including the prestigious Magnet® Recognition for Nursing Excellence and being named to Newsweek’s 2022 list of Best Maternity Care Hospitals. The RWJUH Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center has been recognized by The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association as meeting The Joint Commission's standards for Disease-Specific Care Comprehensive Stroke Center Advanced Certification. RWJUH has also earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Disease-Specific Care Certification for Spine Surgery; The Joint Commission Gold Seal Certification for Bariatric Services; and The Joint Commission Gold Seal Certification for Hip and Knee Replacement services. The Joint Commission also awarded RWJUH a Gold Seal Certification as well as an Advanced Certification in Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Implantation.
Contact: Peter Haigney
RWJUH Public Relations
(732) 937-8568