National accreditation for Edward-Elmhurst's bariatric surgery program

Endeavor Health® Weight Management and Elmhurst Hospital, part of Edward-Elmhurst Health, have announced that their bariatric surgery program has been accredited as a Comprehensive Center by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), a joint Quality Program of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

MBSAQIP accreditation formally acknowledges Endeavor and Elmhurst Hospital’s commitment to providing and supporting quality improvement and patient safety efforts for metabolic and bariatric surgery patients, and demonstrates that they meet the needs of patients by providing multidisciplinary, high-quality, patient-centered care.

The bariatric surgery program at Endeavor and Elmhurst Hospital is led by Mark Choh, MD, FACS, surgeon and bariatric/obesity medicine specialist; Omar Shamsi, MD, bariatric and obesity medicine specialist; Pat Stadelmann, System Manager, Specialty Services, Edward-Elmhurst Health (EEH) and Aileen Waldschmidt, Coordinator, Bariatric Program, EEH.

“The team could not have achieved this accreditation without the support from our quality team members, Dennis Moore and Jodie Quattrocchi, surgeons Ryan Headley, MD, FACS and Wayne Yang, MD, FACS, and the multidisciplinary support from anesthesia, endoscopy, surgical services, pre-op, dietary, radiology, Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, Progressive Critical Care Unit, Emergency Department and the 4 West surgical nursing departments,” says Dr. Choh. “It truly takes a team to care for these patients and we couldn’t be prouder of how well this team works together to achieve successful patient outcomes.”

To earn MBSAQIP Accreditation, Endeavor and Elmhurst Hospital met essential criteria for staffing, training, facility infrastructure, processes, clinical outcomes data and patient care pathways, ensuring the ability to support patients with obesity. Centers that earn accreditation are awarded a specific designation level, depending on how many patients are served annually, critical care capabilities, types of procedures provided and whether care is provided to patients under the age of 18.

The surgeries performed by Endeavor Health® Weight Management’s bariatric surgery program include:

• Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: The stomach is separated into two sections with a special stapling device, creating a small pouch on top. This pouch holds 1-2 ounces of food and becomes the new stomach.
• Vertical sleeve gastrectomy: During this procedure, the surgeon removes about 80 percent of the stomach so that it takes the shape of a tube or sleeve, limiting the amount of food that can be eaten.
• Adjustable gastric band (Lap-Band): A saline-filled, adjustable band is placed around the stomach, dividing the stomach into a small pouch on top, which restricts food intake.

Endeavor Health Weight Management at Edward-Elmhurst Health, including Elmhurst Hospital and Edward Hospital in Naperville, offer surgical and non-surgical options to help patients achieve permanent weight loss and a healthy, active life. Board-certified bariatric and obesity specialists help hundreds of patients each year make positive, long-term changes. For more information, visit www.eehealth.org/services/endeavor-health-weight-management.