St. Luke's Hospital - Allentown Campus and its Bariatric Services Program are Awarded Center of Excellence Designation
Allentown, PA (2/8/2010) - St. Luke's Hospital - Allentown Campus with its Bariatric Services Program and the program's Medical Director, Clarence A. Holland, Jr., MD, FACS, have achieved designation as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence (BSCOE) by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and Surgical Review Corporation (SRC).
For a bariatric program to receive BSCOE designation, an institution must perform at least 125 bariatric surgeries a year and an associated surgeon must have performed at least 125 bariatric surgical procedures lifetime while continuing to complete at least 50 each year. The program also must have a multidisciplinary team that includes surgeons, nurses, medical consultants, nutritionists and psychologists. It must also feature an exercise component.
Highest Quality of Bariatric Surgical Care
Dr. Clarence
Holland
“Being named a Center of Excellence speaks to the quality of our weight loss surgery program and the level of care we provide to our patients,” says Dr. Holland. “We're delighted to be recognized with this designation; it signifies that St. Luke's is committed to providing the highest quality of bariatric surgical care with safety, efficiency and efficacy.”
Dr. Holland has performed approximately 800 laparoscopic bariatric procedures including gastric bypasses, the sleeve gastrectomy and revisional procedures and has participated in another 400. Not all surgeons at St. Luke's are designated BSCOE members.
The designation also allows for greater access to the program, according to Frank Ford, President, St. Luke's Hospital-Allentown Campus. “The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, and also several insurance providers, provide coverage for bariatric surgery only at ASMBS Centers of Excellence.”
Three Bariatric Surgery Options
The St. Luke's Bariatric Services Program offers patients three bariatric surgery options—the Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass, the Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band Procedure and the Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy.
To qualify for weight loss surgery, individuals must be 100 pounds or more overweight and have a body mass index, or BMI, greater than 40 or have a BMI of 35 to 39.99 accompanied by an obesity-related medical condition like diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnea.
Need More Information?
Individuals considering weight loss surgery who need more information on St. Luke's Bariatric Services are encouraged to call 610-628-8315 to speak with a team member.
Free informational seminars on bariatric surgery are also offered monthly at St. Luke's Hospital-Allentown Campus. To register, call St. Luke's InfoLink at 1-877-610-6161 (toll free) or email InfoLink@slhn.org.
