Loma Linda University Medical Center Recognized for Quality Bariatric Surgery

Blue Shield of California has recognized Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC) with a Blue Distinction® Center designation in the area of bariatric surgery as part of the Blue Distinction® Centers for Specialty Care program. Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated health care 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. “Loma Linda University Medical Center is dedicated to giving the highest quality of care in every specialty,” said LLUMC CEO Kerry Heinrich. “This recognition is a true testament to the individuals who are providing care to our bariatric patients, and for that I congratulate them.” To receive a Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery designation, a health care facility must demonstrate success in meeting patient safety as well as bariatric-specific quality measures, including complications and readmissions, for gastric stapling and/or gastric banding procedures. A health care facility must also have earned national accreditations at both the facility level and the bariatric care-specific level. Keith Scharf, DO, FACS director of metabolic & bariatric surgery at LLUMC, is proud to be part of the team recognized by Blue Shield of California for meeting the rigorous selection criteria for bariatric surgery set by the Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care program. “This honor reinforces our efforts and we look forward to continue to perform at this high level,” Scharf said. Most bariatric services are currently offered at Loma Linda University Health. The metabolic and bariatric surgery program offers effective tools and services to help patients achieve and ultimately maintain better health and improved quality of life. The respected team of medical professionals and fellowship-trained surgeons are dedicated and committed to the lifelong success of their patients. Bariatric surgeries are among the most common elective surgeries in the U.S., which provides a significant opportunity to improve quality within the health care system. There were 179,000 bariatric surgeries performed in 2013, according to the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, and the average cost is more than $28,000 per episode, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Furthermore, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 72 million Americans are obese and 24 million suffer from morbid obesity. The estimated annual healthcare costs of obesity-related illnesses are $190.2 billion, or nearly 21 percent of annual medical spending in the U.S., according to the Journal of Health Economics. Research shows that facilities designated as Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients compared with their peers. Since 2006, the Blue Distinction Centers for Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality providers for their specialty care needs in the areas of bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip replacements, spine surgery and transplants while encouraging health care professionals to improve the care they deliver. For more information about the program and for a complete listing of the designated facilities, please visit bcbs.com/bluedistinction.