Newsworthy

Dear Community Partners,

Here are today’s updates:

• Bariatric and Weight Management Program Reaccredited
• Stormont Vail Team Presents Becker’s Webinar
• Individuals with Moderate to Severe Crohn’s Disease Wanted for Clinical Study

Bariatric and Weight Management Program Reaccredited; Drs. Bhurtel and Khreiss Verified Surgeons

For patient seeking surgical treatment for obesity and its related conditions, Stormont Vail provides a high-quality choice as it has a nationally accredited program meeting the highest standards for patient safety and quality.

Stormont Vail Health’s bariatric and weight management program was recently reaccredited as a Comprehensive Center with Obesity Medicine Qualifications by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP®), a joint Quality Program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

In addition, surgeons Partha Bhurtel, M.D., MBBS, FACS, and Wael Khreiss, M.D., FACS, were recognized as verified surgeons.

The MBSAQIP standardsensure that metabolic and bariatric patients receive multidisciplinary medical care, which improves patient outcomes and long-term success. MBSAQIP-accredited centers offer preoperative and postoperative care designed specifically for patients with obesity.

To earn MBSAQIP accreditation, Stormont Vail’s Cotton O’Neil Bariatric and Weight Management Program met essential criteria for staffing, training, facility infrastructure and patient care pathways, ensuring its ability to support patients with obesity. The center participates in a national data registry that yields semiannual reports on the quality of its surgical outcomes and identifying opportunities for quality improvement.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the number of individuals affected by obesity continues to increase. The disease of obesity increases the risks of morbidity and mortality because of the diseases and conditions that are commonly associated with it, such as type II diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, among other health risks. Metabolic and bariatric surgery has proven to be effective in the reduction of comorbid conditions related to obesity.

Congratulations to the Stormont Vail team that provide this important service to our patients and community and for this recent achievement.

Stormont Vail Team Presents Becker’s Webinar

Three team members from Stormont Vail Health recently participated in an on-demand webinar through Becker’s Hospital Review that provided information about how our organization is improving medical necessity documentation. Those presenting were Chad Yeager, RN, MSN, Vice President, Quality and Population Health, Sri V. Suravarapu, M.D., MPH, CPE, Medical Director, Utilization Review and Physician Advisor, and Jamie Crook, RN, MSN, CDEO, CRC, Utilization Review (UR) and Hierarchical Condition Categories (HCC) Manager.

The trio provided insights on utilization of new technologies to reduce denials, improve medical necessity documentation and enhance utilization review productivity.

Individuals with Moderate to Severe Crohn’s Disease Wanted for Clinical Study

The AFFIRM Study is looking for adults who are 18 years of age or older, with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease (CD). The study is researching a study drug to see if it can safely be given subcutaneously (an injection under the skin) with the goal of inducing “remission” in adults with CD. Remission is the point where CD symptoms start to go away or disappear completely. To see whether you might be eligible, please visit our website www.AFFIRMstudyCD.com, or contact the Cotton O’Neil Digestive Health Clinical Research Center to learn more: (785) 270-4856.

We together,

Dr. K