Gundersen recognized for excellence in bariatric surgery
Gundersen Health System
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 20, 2014
Gundersen Media Contacts:
Chris Stauffer, Media and Communications,
(608) 775-6622, cjstauff@gundersenhealth.org
Brian Gilberts, Media and Communications,
(608) 775-6399, bcgilber@gundersenhealth.org
Gundersen Health System’s commitment to high quality care has once again been recognized by Healthgrades®, the leading online resource for consumers to search, evaluate, compare and connect with physicians and hospitals.
Gundersen recently received the Healthgrades 2014 Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award™, which recognizes Gundersen among the top 10 percent of hospitals measured for bariatric patient outcomes. Additionally, Gundersen received a Five-star rating in Bariatric Surgery for the fifth year in a row.
“Since the development of our minimally invasive bariatric program in 2001, our multidisciplinary team has always strived for exemplary outcomes,” says Gundersen bariatric surgeon Shanu N. Kothari, MD, FACS. “The Healthgrades Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award is a reflection of that vision.”
“Bariatric surgery has proven to be an effective means of achieving significant and sustained weight loss and to reverse complications of obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure and high cholesterol,” says Dr. Kothari. “It is important for patients to have a way to identify facilities, such as Gundersen, that provide optimal surgical care. Healthgrades provides an excellent starting point as patients research their options.”
Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award
The Healthgrades Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award recognizes hospitals that rank in the top 10 percent of all hospitals evaluated for bariatric surgery patient outcomes. To determine these rankings, Healthgrades analyzed surgery outcome data from 19 states over a three year period (2010-2012).
According to Healthgrades, if all measured hospitals had performed at the level of those that received the Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award, major in-hospital complications could potentially have been avoided more than 4,000 patients during the three-year period.
Healthgrades also states that as a group, patients who received bariatric surgery from a Five-star rated hospital were 45.5 percent less likely to experience in-hospital complications than those who received surgery at a hospital with a Three-star rating and 70.2 percent less likely than those who received One-star.
“Recent data shows the obesity rate in the United States is at the highest annual rate ever measured, with nearly two-thirds of Americans rating as overweight or obese,” says Evan Marks, Healthgrades chief strategy officer. “Consumers who may be considering bariatric surgery can utilize the Healthgrades report to better understand the various treatment options and the importance of selecting the right hospital. The Healthgrades 2014 Bariatric Surgery Award recipients have demonstrated exceptional performance and a dedicated approach when it comes to delivering bariatric care.”
For more details on these awards, including full methodology, go to healthgrades.com/quality. Additional information on Gundersen’s Healthgrades achievements can be found at gundersenhealth.org/healthgrades.
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