Tobey Hospital Earns National Recognition for Clinical Excellence in Weight Loss Surgery

We are proud to announce that Tobey Hospital received reaccreditation from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), a joint quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

“Beginning in 2004, our comprehensive weight loss surgery program has been helping patients achieve their goals and live healthier lives through personalized treatment and multidisciplinary support,” said Jorge Huaco Cateriano, MD, Chief of Bariatric & General Surgery at Southcoast Health. “This recognition reaffirms that we deliver clinically excellent care, and I am so proud to work with the exceptional team who made this achievement possible.”

MBSAQIP is a comprehensive, national surgical quality program aimed at ensuring the safe and effective performance of metabolic and bariatric surgery. Surgical outcomes focus on weight loss and the treatment of obesity-related diseases, like diabetes, sleep apnea, and more. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 2023 over 40 percent of adults over the age of 20 in the United States were affected by obesity.

The Weight Loss Surgery program at Tobey Hospital has a long history of delivering high-quality care. They were first recognized by the Surgical Review Corporation as a Center of Excellence in 2006. Today the team performs more than 250 procedures annually across the region.

“It has been wonderful to see how the Southcoast Health Weight Loss program has continuously evolved to use cutting-edge technology and minimally invasive techniques, such as robotic surgery, to provide the most advanced treatment for our patients right here in our community,” said Dr. Dennis La Rock, Executive Vice President and Chief Physician Officer at Southcoast Health.

In addition, Tobey Hospital is also an ACS Surgical Quality Partner. This designation lets patients know they have been verified or accredited by the ACS. Patients can trust that the care they receive at Surgical Quality Partner hospitals adheres to the most rigorous standards in surgical quality.

“ACS Quality programs are grounded in more than a century of experience and participation is an important measure of a hospital’s surgical quality. As an ACS Surgical Quality Partner, Tobey Hospital has shown a commitment providing the best possible patient care, evaluating that care in a rigorous fashion, and dedicating themselves to continuous self-improvement,” said ACS Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS.

To learn more about Southcoast Health Weight Loss please visit: Weight Loss Program | Southcoast Health