Banner Good Samaritan Bariatric Program named a Center of Excellence by Surgical Review Corporation
PHOENIX (May 15, 2006) — The Banner Good Samaritan Bariatric Center has been designated a Bariatric Center of Excellence by the Surgical Review Corporation, an independent organization dedicated to identifying surgical excellence.
The Banner Good Samaritan Bariatric Center offers a comprehensive program designed to help patients successfully achieve weight loss through bariatric surgery and a variety of support programs. Non-surgical treatment programs are also available.
In order to be considered for this award, a bariatric program needed to perform at least 125 gastric bypass surgeries each year; track outcomes; have a designated medical director and multidisciplinary care team, including a psychologist, dietician, nurse and exercise physiologists; and must maintain a full complement of equipment – from operating tables to wheelchairs – suitable for morbidly obese patients. The process also required a full site visit from the Surgical Review Corporation.
Banner Good Samaritan joins Banner’s North Colorado Medical Center in this important distinction. To date, only 132 facilities in the country have been named to the list of qualified hospitals.
“This may be recognition that validates what we have been doing for years at BGSMC, but having someone critically review our procedures and recommend us as a Center of Excellence is an important message for our community,” said Beth Miller, director of the Banner Good Samaritan Bariatric Center.
In August 2005, the Banner Good Samaritan Bariatric program also earned a seal of approval from United Healthcare, one of the largest managed care companies in the U.S.
“These national recognitions for the Banner Good Samaritan Bariatric Center are the result of a total team effort on the part of our surgeons and our care team,” Miller added. “It’s very gratifying to see the staff recognized for their excellent work and dedication to patient care. We could not have received this recognition without them.”
Banner Health operates three bariatric centers, at Banner Good Samaritan; North Colorado Medical Center; and Banner Mesa Medical Center, which recently opened its bariatric program in Mesa, Ariz. Obesity is considered a serious medical problem in America and is of great concern in the medical community. More than two-thirds of our nation is overweight; a distressing statistic that continues to increase each year.
Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center has been providing medical care to Arizona and the Southwest since 1911. Banner Good Samaritan is owned and operated by Phoenix-based Banner Health, a not-for-profit organization, and is a flagship hospital within the system. The hospital was recently named a Solucient “100 Top Hospitals” for Cardiovascular Care, and recognized as a Magnet facility by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the highest honor a hospital can earn for its nursing care and practices.
Licensed for 659 inpatient beds, Banner Good Samaritan’s staff is nationally recognized for its expertise in several major services, including cardiology, critical care, neurosciences, obstetrics, oncology, rehabilitation, research, surgery and both solid organ and bone marrow transplant services. Today, more than 3,600 nurses and staff members work with over 1,700 physicians representing nearly 50 specialties to provide care to more than 36,000 inpatients each year.
Contact:
Banner Good Samaritan Public Relations
Phone: (602) 239-4411
Pager: (602) 250-0383
