What Does an MBSAQIP Accreditation Mean?

The Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) sets national standards for bariatric surgery centers with a goal of advancing safe and high-quality care for bariatric surgery patients.

This voluntary yet rigorous accreditation process for bariatric surgery centers consists of regularly maintaining specific physical resources, human resources and standards of practice, and reporting these outcomes to the MBSAQIP database.

MBSAQIP standards come from the collaboration of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) who set out to create nationally recognized standards for bariatric surgery centers. Prior to the foundation of MBSAQIP in 2012, ACS and ASMBS each had their own bariatric surgery center accreditation programs – the ACS Bariatric Surgery Center Network and the ASMBS Bariatric Centers of Excellence program.

Both of these programs focused on surgeon leadership, a multidisciplinary approach to bariatric surgery, and reporting outcomes to a national database. Most bariatric surgery centers in the United States were a part of one of these programs prior to the initiation of MBSAQIP. Once MBSAQIP launched in 2012, bariatric surgery centers transitioned from their respective ACS or ASMBS programs to the new joint program.

Accreditation by MBSAQIP promotes uniform practices and continued quality improvement for bariatric surgery centers. There are several designation levels of accreditation based on criteria such as available resources, volume of patients, and types of procedures offered. For example, designated comprehensive centers are characterized as having all necessary equipment for complex initial and revisional bariatric surgery procedures on at high volume of patients. Designation as a comprehensive center through MBSAQIP accreditation requires all procedures to be entered in MBSAQIP data registry and an on-site visit every three years.

The Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program is proudly accredited by MBSAQIP as comprehensive centers at all three locations: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Hospital and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.

Continued quality improvement through MBSAQIP accreditation contributes to the success and safety of this program. With more than 700 bariatric surgery procedures performed each year and over 20 years of experience, we provide individualized attention to patients by a team of clinical staff and access to latest treatment options for bariatric surgery.