BANNOCKBURN, Ill., March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- MSO Medical, Inc., the nation's leading bariatric services management company, has received a designation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), the premier healthcare accreditation association. MSO Medical's bariatric surgery program at its Centers for Obesity Related Illness (CORI) has earned the Gold Seal of Approval(TM) for healthcare quality. JCAHO awarded MSO Medical, Inc. Disease-Specific Care Certification for Bariatric Surgery.
"This impressive benchmark for MSO Medical is further evidence of our commitment to ensuring the highest level of safety and quality of care for clinically severe obese patients," says Steve Straus, president and chief development officer, MSO Medical, which operates CORI Centers and has replicated its JCAHO-accredited program for bariatric surgery on a national basis. "With JCAHO's Gold Seal of Approval(TM), we stand above others in the field as a beacon for excellence and a model for the industry. CORI's highly experienced bariatric surgeons have performed more than 7,000 surgeries with complication rates and revisions that are significantly lower than the national average."
Straus adds that these factors contribute favorably to MSO Medical's success in contracting with many of the nation's leading health plans in the markets they serve. Health plan decision-makers are seeking programs that reflect strong accreditation guidelines with proven outcomes.
To earn JCAHO accreditation, MSO's disease-specific program for bariatric surgery underwent an extensive on-site evaluation review by the Joint Commission which will be repeated once every two years.
"This certification means MSO Medical does the right things and does them well for bariatric surgery patients," says Charles A. Mowll, executive vice president, Business Development, Government, and External Relations, Joint Commission.
The MSO program was evaluated against JCAHO standards through an assessment of the program's processes, the program's ability to evaluate and improve care within its own organization, and interviews with patients and staff.
MSO Medical pioneered a multi-faceted approach to addressing obesity that includes medically supervised interventions with surgical options, behavioral modification strategies, and a comprehensive pre- and post-surgical program for educational, nutritional, medical and psychological patient support to ensure long-term success.
"Our philosophy differs markedly from others in the industry because it treats more than simply surgical weight loss -- we look at long term, permanent lifestyle changes that impact the individual's ability to live a healthier, more productive life," says Straus. "This includes an ongoing connection to the patient that extends well beyond the surgical procedure."
Two of the physician co-founders of CORI hold another industry distinction that no other bariatric surgeons in the marketplace can claim. James P. Sapala, M.D., F.A.C.S., and Michael H. Wood, M.D., F.A.C.S., hold a United States patent publication for the Sapala-Wood Micropouch(R) gastric bypass surgery -- U.S. patent number 20040045562A1. The operation is a Roux-en-Y procedure with a micropouch, which treats clinically severe obesity.
MSO's bariatric programs are nationally recognized for their unparalleled clinical outcomes, and MSO is the only management services organization offering the patented Sapala-Wood Micropouch(R) procedure, an operation in which the stomach is reduced to the size of a grape. Since 1994, over 5,000 patients have undergone the Sapala-Wood Micropouch(R) procedure with outstanding results. To date, no Micropouch patient has required a second procedure because of pouch enlargement. Most importantly, more than 90% of CORI patients lose 75% of their excess weight within two years of surgery. This result equals or surpasses the weight reduction achieved in other gastric bypass procedures.
The Joint Commission launched its Disease-Specific Care Certification program in 2002. It is the first program of its kind in the country to certify disease management programs. A list of Joint Commission bariatric-certified programs is available at http://www.jcaho.org/.
Founded in 1951, the Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 7,800 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 7,300 other health care organizations that provide long term care, assisted living, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. The Joint Commission also accredits health plans, integrated delivery networks, and other managed care entities. In addition, the Joint Commission provides certification of disease-specific care programs and primary stroke centers. An independent, not-for-profit organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.
About MSO Medical, Inc. & CORI
CORI Centers are operated by MSO Medical, Inc. with its corporate office located in Bannockburn, Illinois (Chicago suburb). MSO Medical has been awarded the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) Disease-Specific Care Certification for Bariatric Surgery. MSO Medical contracts with acute care hospitals to establish Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence under the brand name CORI (Centers for Obesity Related Illness). CORI has established centers in Illinois, Michigan, and New York. For more information, call 800-578-CORI (2674) or visit http://www.weightlosssurgery.com/ .
MSO Medical, Inc.CONTACT: Jessica Wolfe, CPR Communications for CORI, +1-201-641-1911,x51, jwolfe@cpronline.com