The descriptions for this measure come from source: www.leapfroggroup.org.

Bariatric surgery is a surgical procedure done on the stomach or intestines to induce weight loss. There are several different types of bariatric surgery for weight loss, including gastric sleeve surgery, gastric bypass, and lap band surgery.

Research has shown that patients have better outcomes when they have their bariatric surgery for weight loss performed at a hospital and by a surgeon that have more experience with the procedure. These include lower mortality rates, lower complication rates, and a shorter length of stay than for patients who have their surgery done at a hospital or by a surgeon with less experience. Hospitals should also have protocols in place to ensure that surgeries are not performed when not needed, known as surgical appropriateness.

About this measure

To fully meet standards:

• The hospital met the minimum hospital volume standard for bariatric surgery; and
• The hospital’s process for privileging surgeons includes meeting or exceeding the minimum surgeon volume standard.

Scores are reported as:

1 = Willing to Report
2 = Some Progress
3 = Substantial Progress
4 = Fully Meets the Standard

Note: In this measure, a higher number is better.