Abstract
Background: Payers and professional organizations are expanding accreditation and “center of excellence” programs in bariatric surgery, based on volume and other criteria. Whether hospitals with such designations have superior outcomes is unclear. Methods: Using data from a large, prospective clinical registry (Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative), we studied all patients undergoing bariatric surgery (excluding Lap-Bands) between 2006 and 2008 (N=7,504). Hospital volume and center of excellence status (American College of Surgeons, American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, or BlueCross BlueShield) was assessed for each of the 16 participating hospitals.
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