Upstate Bariatric Surgery Center earns five-star rating

SYRACUSE, N.Y.—Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse has been named among the top hospitals in the nation for bariatric surgery, receiving a 5-star rating in a recent report by HealthGrades.

The outcomes for bariatric surgery patients at Upstate University Hospital places the hospital among the top ten percent in the nation for bariatric surgery and the hospital was named a recipient of the HealthGrades Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award.

Upstate, which provides its bariatric services at its Central New York Bariatric Surgery Center, is the only hospital in Syracuse with this HealthGrades designation.

HealthGrades found that bariatric surgery patients have a nearly 70 percent lower risk of experiencing an in-hospital complication at a top-rated hospitals such as Upstate University Hospital Healthcare compared to lesser-rated hospitals.

The findings are from HealthGrades 2011 Bariatric Surgery Trends in American Hospitals report, which analyzed 193,518 bariatric surgery patient records from 2007 through 2009, including 468 hospitals in 19 states where data are available publically

"We appreciate the recognition of our bariatric services," said Howard Simon, M.D., director of the Central New York Bariatric Surgery Center at Upstate. "It highlights the quality and expertise we offer our patients, and underscores our commitment to providing them with a healthier tomorrow."

In addition its exemplary bariatric services rating, the Central New York Bariatric Surgery Center at Upstate remains the only center of its kind to have earned accreditation as a Level 1A center by the American College of Surgeons' Bariatric Surgery Network. Upstate's center received the highest accreditation level possible, Level 1A, signifying that the hospital's high volume practice can "manage the most challenging and complex patients."

The Upstate center is on pace to perform more than 400 bariatric surgery procedures this year. Surgical options include laparoscopic adjustable gastric-banding and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, gastric sleeve resection.

The long-term benefits of bariatric surgery, also known as weight loss surgery, include significant and sustainable long-term weight loss, resolution of diabetes, reduction in cardiovascular disease risk, and decreased mortality.

HealthGrades is a leading national independent source of physician information and quality outcomes.

The Central New York Bariatric Surgery Center at Upstate Medical University is located at 505 Irving Ave., Syracuse. For more information, call 315-464-9852 or go to: www.upstate.edu/surgery/healthcare/bariatric/