Our Lady of the Lake is a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence recognized
by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) - the
world’s largest center of excellence program for bariatric surgery. Our Lady of
the Lake is one of only 431 facilities in the nation to be designated with this
honor. This designation means that patients who choose to have their surgery at
Our Lady of the Lake have selected a hospital with a proven track record of
favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery.
Hospitals and surgeons qualify for designation by participating in a rigorous
evaluation process designed to document that there is a comprehensive program in
place that meets established requirements for providing safe bariatric surgical
care with excellent outcomes. The evaluation documents processes, equipment,
supplies, training of surgeons and staff, the availability of consultant
services and results.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 66 percent
of all US adults are overweight or obese. Morbid obesity is closely correlated
with a number of serious conditions that severely undermine the health of
overweight patients, including heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Bariatric surgery, when performed correctly, can help obese patients manage
these conditions. Surgeons at Our Lady of the Lake currently perform about 200
bariatric surgeries per year. In addition, Our Lady of the Lake also holds free
monthly seminars on the first Thursday of every month to learn more about weight
loss surgery and frequent support group meetings for patients who have had
weight loss surgery. A video about weight loss surgery at Our Lady of the Lake
is available here.
For more information about ASMBS, go to www.ASMBS.org.
