St. Francis Bariatric Surgery

Nationally Recognized for Quality, Cost Effective Bariatric Surgery

St. Francis Medical Center has received full accreditation as a comprehensive bariatric facility by the new Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP). MBSAQIP accreditation signifies that St. Francis Medical Center has demonstrated a commitment to delivering the highest quality of care for bariatric surgery patients.

St. Francis Medical Center has been recognized by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana as one of the nation's first hospitals to receive a Blue Distinction® Center+ designation in the area of Bariatric Surgery for Gastric Stapling. We have also received a Blue Distinction® Center designation in the area of Bariatric Surgery for Gastric Banding.

Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) are nationally designated healthcare facilities that meet overall quality measures for patient safety and outcomes, developed with input from the medical community. Blue Distinction Centers+ (BDC+) also meet cost measures that address consumers’ need for affordable healthcare. To receive a Blue Distinction Center+ for Bariatric Surgery designation, a healthcare facility must demonstrate success in meeting patient safety as well as bariatric-specific quality measures, including complications and readmissions. A healthcare facility must also have earned national accreditations at both the facility level and the bariatric care-specific level, as well as demonstrate better cost efficiency relative to its peers.

Research shows that facilities designated as Blue Distinction Centers+ demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients compared with their peers. On average, Blue Distinction Centers+ are also 20 percent or more cost efficient than non-BDC+ designated healthcare facilities. Bariatric surgeries are among the most common elective surgeries in the U.S., which provides a significant opportunity to improve quality and efficiency within the healthcare 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, it is estimated that 72 million Americans are obese and 24 million suffer from morbid obesity, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 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.

St. Francis Medical Center has been recognized as a United Healthcare Center of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery.