NEA Baptist earns Center of Excellence accreditation for bariatric services

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NEA Baptist Hospital recently became the first Northeast Arkansas hospital to be accredited as a Comprehensive Center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program.

NEA Baptist offers a robust Bariatric Surgery Center – including educational seminars and online training sessions as well as support groups led by bariatric surgery coordinator Laci Pistole. MBSAQIP standards ensure that bariatric surgical patients participate in a multidisciplinary program, not just a surgical procedure, which improves patient outcomes and long-term success. The center offers preoperative and postoperative care designed specifically for severely obese patients.

“The hospital’s commitment to high standards and the hard work of many people have led to this designation as a high-quality program,” said Dr. Bruce Jones, a metabolic and bariatric surgeon at NEA Baptist. “NEA Baptist received the highest designation given by the American College of Surgeons. Patients can be confident they are receiving the same optimal care in our bariatric program as any certified program in the USA.”

To earn the MBSAQIP designation, NEA Baptist met essential criteria for staffing, training and facility infrastructure and protocols for care, ensuring its ability to support severely obese patients. The center also participates in a national data registry that yields semiannual reports on the quality of its processes and outcomes, identifying opportunities for continuous quality improvement.

“We are proud of Dr. Jones and his team for their dedication to providing a high-quality bariatric surgery program for our patients and community,” said Brad Parsons, CEO and administrator of NEA Baptist Hospital. “This accreditation is a reflection of their hard work and encompasses the hospital’s focus on continuously improving care for our patients.”