Vidant Medical Center achieves national reaccreditation by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and Quality Improvement Program | Eastern North Carolina Now

News Release:

    GREENVILLE     Patients seeking surgical options at Vidant Medical Center (VMC) for severe obesity and its related conditions have a high-quality choice for receiving treatment at a nationally-accredited program that meets the highest standards for patient safety and quality of care.

    VMC has been reaccredited as a comprehensive center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), a joint program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

    "VMC ensures that a bariatric surgical patient receives a multidisciplinary program, not just a surgical procedure," said Samantha Casper, bariatric coordinator at VMC. "This improves patient outcomes and long-term success."

    To earn the MBSAQIP designation, VMC met essential criteria for staffing, training and facility infrastructure and protocols for care, ensuring its ability to support patients with severe obesity. The hospital underwent an extensive site visit by an experienced bariatric surgeon, who reviewed the structure, process and clinical outcomes data.

    In addition to earning this reaccreditation, Casper was chosen to participate in the practice analysis section of the Bariatric Certification Advisory Committee with ASMBS. The Certified Bariatric Nurse (CBN) program is designed to assess the professional competence of practitioners of bariatric nursing, which has certified more than 1,200 nurses since 2007.

    In the United States, around 15.5 million people suffer from severe obesity, according to the National Institutes of Health, and the numbers continue to increase. 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, and cardiovascular disease, among other health risks. Metabolic and bariatric surgical procedures have proven to be effective in the reduction of comorbid conditions related to severe obesity.


   Contact: Amy Holcombe, Vidant Health Corporate Communications,

     amy.holcombe@vidanthealth.com  •  (252) 847-2725

    Vidant Health, a mission-driven, not-for-profit corporation, owns, leases or has a majority membership interest in nine eastern North Carolina hospitals and has a management agreement with one other. The health system includes Albemarle Health, Vidant Beaufort Hospital, Vidant Bertie Hospital, Vidant Chowan Hospital, Vidant Duplin Hospital, Vidant Edgecombe Hospital, The Outer Banks Hospital, Vidant Medical Center, Vidant Pungo Hospital, Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, Vidant Home Health and Hospice, Vidant Wellness Centers, Vidant Medical Group and is affiliated with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. On the web at www.vidanthealth.com