2014-15 ASMBS President
Most Important Event
During my tenure as ASMBS President 2014-2015, I feel the most significant event during my presidency was the institutionalization of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) with over 800 Hospitals accredited, payor partnerships implemented and creation of a national quality improvement project (DROP).
ASMBS grew tremendously in volume, safety and understanding of bariatric surgery in the years prior to my presidency. As we shifted from growth to maturation, I found it important to create initiatives in quality, access, education, collaboration, and investigation and to mainstream bariatric surgery. I wanted ASMBS to have a rightful place in the American House of Medicine.
Every conversation regarding bariatric surgery should begin with emphasis and focus on quality improvement and patient safety. We found the ideal vehicle for QI through our partnership with the American College of Surgeons in the MBSAQIP initiative. During my year, we had over 800 hospitals accredited and created partnerships with insurers to utilize MBSAQIP instead of creating their own accreditation. I created an enduring national quality improvement for MBSAQIP to address readmissions. This program for 128 hospitals was called DROP for Decreasing Readmissions through Opportunities Provided. Additionally, a Closed Claims Registry for bariatric surgery litigation was created.
Access to Care was also a prime objective for my presidency. I was happy to note that coverage for the sleeve gastrectomy became complete with all payors including Medicare and Tricare. A signal event was creating ASMBS state chapters in all 50 states. A crowning achievement this year was creation of our very own ASMBS Political Action Committee.
Collaboration for our growth and maturation is critical. We demonstrated this collaborative spirit through becoming a member of the American Medical Association and the Obesity Care Summit which resulted in 6 joint, cooperative guidelines with other societies.