MARLTON, NJ — Virtua Health's Complete Weight Management Program is the first in the Philadelphia region to be recognized as a Comprehensive Center with Obesity Medicine Qualifications accreditation.
Awarded by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, this honor highlights health systems' abilities to efficiently administer weight-loss medications, surgical and non-surgical operations, and comprehensive support services.
"Extensive research has confirmed that obesity is a complex, chronic, multi-factorial disease," Dr. Gaurav Sharma said in speaking to Patch. "Lifestyle changes are important, but that's just one aspect of treatment."
In order to receive the accreditation, patient care outcomes, online training programs, and quality assessments must all be submitted.
The goal of the program is to advance benchmarks in the field and help improve quality among programs across the medical sector.
Some of the resources offered at Virtua include minimally invasive robotic-assisted technology, monthly support groups, and a personal weight-management navigation team.
"Most patients come to us after years and years of feeling judged, blamed, or dismissed by other people...the first thing we can help remove is that burden of shame," said Sharma. "Before they even lose a single pound, they leave the office with something very important: hope for their future, and a plan that's built around their personal health and needs."
According to Sharma, the program at Virtua has performed more than 10,000 successful weight-loss procedures, including sleeve gastrectomy, Roux en Y Gastric Bypass, Modified Duodenal-Ileostomy, and Magnetic Duodenal-Ileostomy.
The Complete Weight Management Program is available at locations in Haddon Heights, Marlton, Moorestown, and Sewell.
Visit the Virtua website or call (856) 246-4155 for more information.
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