Franciscan Health named Blue Distinction Center for Bariatrics

Franciscan Health Olympia Fields has achieved Blue Distinction® Center Plus designation in the area of bariatric surgery as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.

To achieve this designation, Franciscan Health Olympia Fields met rigorous selection criteria for bariatric surgery established by BlueCross BlueShield for Blue Distinction Specialty Care programs.

Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated healthcare facilities shown to deliver quality specialty care based on objective measures that were developed with input from the medical community for patient safety and better health outcomes. Research shows that facilities designated as Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients compared with their peers.

The Franciscan Health Center for Bariatric Surgery provides comprehensive surgical weight loss services, including three bariatric surgeries: Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (BPD-DS), Gastric bypass and Sleeve gastrectomy. The Center for Bariatric Surgery also offers individual dietary counseling, support groups and specialty classes focusing on fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle changes required for long-term weight loss success.

“Our goal is to provide excellent, personalized, safe care for patients requesting weight-loss surgery,” said Gerald A. Cahill, MD, Center for Bariatric Surgery Medical Director. “I strive to help every patient to achieve a realistic goal weight, a resolution of medical problems, a positive attitude about their health and an overall improved lifestyle.”

Dr. Cahill has dedicated his practice to weight loss surgery and specializes in minimally invasive laparoscopic surgical techniques for the treatment of obesity. He has performed more than 8,000 successful weight loss surgeries and is among the most experienced bariatric surgeons in Chicagoland.

To earn a Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery designation, a healthcare facility must demonstrate success in meeting patient safety as well as bariatric-specific quality measures, including complications and readmissions, for bariatric procedures. It must also have earned national accreditations at both the facility level and the bariatric care-specific level.

Submitted by Robyn Ali, Marketing Specialist, Franciscan Health Olympia Fields, Marketing and Public Relations Department robyn.ali@franciscanalliance.org