Bariatric Surgery Performed At Non-Accredited Centers Is Far More Dangerous, Study Finds

U.S. researchers who analyzed data from 277,000 weight loss operations performed between 2008 and 2011 found that patients whose surgery was performed at accredited facilities were half as likely to die from the procedure. The mortality rate for bariatric surgery at an accredited surgical center was .08 percent, compared to .19 percent at a non-accredited facility. “This is not a small difference un outcomes,” the lead researcher said, noting that the study “reinforces that accreditation saves lives”. The study was released two months after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services dropped its seven-year-old accreditation requirement for bariatric surgery facilities performing surgery on Medicare patients.