A Journal of the American College of Surgeons' article shows that patients undergoing weight-loss procedures at accredited bariatric surgery centers are less likely to experience postoperative complications, as compared to those receiving care at non-accredited centers, according to a Medical Xpress report.
Article authors examined 13 studies, published between 2009 and 2014, and totaling more than 1.5 million patients. Currently, CMS does not require its beneficiaries to undergo bariatric procedures at accredited bariatric facilities.
Here are three insights:
1. Of the 11 studies that evaluated postoperative complications, eight found that undergoing a bariatric operation in an accredited facility reduced the risk of having a serious complication by 9 percent to 39 percent.
2. Six of eight studies that examined mortality showed the odds of a fatal bariatric procedure were 2.26 to 3.57 times higher at a nonaccredited facility as compared to an accredited one.
3. Only three studies did not show a significant benefit of accreditation.
"Accreditation makes a big difference," said Principal Investigator John Morton, MD, MPH, chief of bariatric and minimally invasive surgery, Stanford (Calif.) University School of Medicine, according to the report.
