Tampa, FL (April 10, 2006) – Tampa General Hospital's Bariatric Services program has been designated a Bariatric Center of Excellence by the American Society of Bariatric Surgery (ASBS). The program is headed by medical director and USF Health surgeon Michel Murr, MD.

This latest recognition builds upon the honor received by the program last year – it was the first in the nation to obtain disease-specific certification from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations.

The TGH program is the only Bariatric Center of Excellence in Tampa and one of less than a dozen in the state.

"Basically it means that our program goes far beyond the minimum requirements for excellence of care, patient education, and safety," said Dr. Murr, associate professor of surgery.

For a center to receive Center of Excellence designation, the institution must perform at least 125 bariatric surgeries a year, and each surgeon must have performed at least 125 bariatric surgeries while continuing to complete least 50 each year. The Center must also maintain a dedicated multidisciplinary team that includes surgeons, nurses, medical consultants, nutritionists, psychologists, and exercise physiologists. 

The designation is also a plus in terms of reimbursement. In February, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid announced it would cover bariatric surgery only at ASBS Centers of Excellence or American College of Surgeons Centers of Excellence.

Nearly 1,000 patients have been surgically treated for morbid obesity (100 pounds or more overweight) through TGH's Bariatric Services program since it began in 1998. While gastric bypass, known as Roux-en-Y surgery, is the most prevalent type of surgery, the program also provides gastric banding. In this procedure, a band is placed around the esophagus (food pipe) to limit the amount of food that can pass into the stomach.

Scientific evidence shows that bariatric surgery saves lives, Dr. Murr said. "People with clinically severe obesity have a much higher mortality rate than those of normal weight, Bariatric surgery significantly decreases the incidence of obesity-related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis, and it considerably improves the quality of patients' lives."

The ASBS is a non-profit organization that works to advance the art and science of bariatric surgery and is committed to educating medical professionals and the public about bariatric surgery as a treatment option for morbid obesity. The organization also encourages its members to investigate and discover new advances in bariatric surgery while maintaining an exchange of experiences and ideas that may lead to improved surgical outcomes for patients.

- USF Health -

USF Health is the University of South Florida's enterprise of researchers, teachers and clinicians dedicated to improving the full continuum of health. Its core is the colleges of Public Health, Nursing and Medicine, including a School of Physical Therapy, as well as the healthcare delivered by its 450 physicians and more than 100 nurse practitioners. In partnership with its affiliated hospitals, USF Health's research funding last year was $134 million -- more than half of which came from federal sources. Last year, USF health clinicians cared for more than 31,000 patients and oversaw 396,000 outpatient visits.