Bassett Medical Center Receives Surgical Quality Partner Distinction and Accreditation from American College of Surgeons

Cooperstown, NY - Bassett Medical Center has received the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Surgical Quality Partner distinction including the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP). This recognizes the institution’s dedication to surgical quality and commitment to maintaining the highest standards in surgical care.

Dr. Stephanie Oceguera, Director of Bassett’s Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program, said: "We have a phenomenal team that is dedicated to ensuring the best care for our patients. We continually strive to improve our outcomes and are very proud to have earned this distinction from the American College of Surgeons."

“Thank you, Dr. Oceguera, for your exemplary leadership, and to your entire team for their ongoing pursuit of quality and dedication to ever-improving patient outcomes,” said Dr. Tommy Ibrahim, President and CEO of Bassett Healthcare Network.

“The MBSAQIP accreditation is conferred upon inpatient and outpatient bariatric surgery centers in the U.S. and Canada that have undergone an independent, voluntary, and rigorous peer evaluation in accordance with nationally recognized bariatric surgical standards. This accreditation not only promotes uniform standard benchmarks, but also supports continuous quality improvement,” states ACS.

Bassett’s Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery program has been accredited by the MBSAQIP since its inception in 2012.

Other ACS quality programs in which Bassett participates include:

• National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) collects data and provides in-depth analysis, helping surgeons and hospitals understand their quality of care compared to similar hospitals with similar patients.

• Trauma Verification, Review, and Consultation Program (VRC) helps hospitals evaluate and improve trauma care as well as provide objective, external reviews of institutional capability and performance.

• Commission on Cancer (CoC) accredited cancer programs undergo on-site visits in which CoC site reviewers visit the cancer program to ensure compliance with standards.

As stated on ACS’s website: “Improving surgical care leads to greater access for patients, fewer complications, lower cost of care, and better outcomes. ACS accreditation and verification programs, products, guidelines, and tools improve quality in trauma, cancer, breast disease, bariatrics, pediatrics, geriatrics, and overall surgical care.”

“For more than 100 years, quality has been the cornerstone of the American College of Surgeons. As the preeminent voice on surgical quality in healthcare, [ACS] sets the highest quality standards for surgeons and hospitals alike—and then works to exceed them.”