Aurora BayCare Medical Center Bariatric Center of Excellence

Aurora BayCare Medical Center's Bariatric Surgery Program with Medical Director James Kemmerling, MD, has been designated as an official American Society for Bariatric Surgery Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence.

Aurora BayCare’s bariatric surgery program was recognized with this national designation after demonstrating a track record of favorable surgical outcomes and after undergoing a rigorous site inspection, in which all aspects of the program's surgical processes were closely examined and data on health outcomes was collected. In addition, Aurora BayCare Medial Center and all Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence agree to continually share this type of information with other designated physicians and hospitals for the sake of always improving bariatric patient care, quality and safety.

The designation indicates to patients that we are on par with the nation's top bariatric programs. Patients can know that Aurora BayCare has been strictly evaluated and found to have a track record of favorable surgical outcomes from a high volume of cases. In addition, the bariatric program at Aurora BayCare has been found to help the whole person prepare for and recover from this surgery with individualized medical, psychological and nutritional care.

The American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS) was founded in 1983 as an organization offering educational and support programs for surgeons and allied health professionals. The society has grown to become the largest in the world for this specialty, seeking to advance the art and science of bariatric surgery.

According to a study released in July 2005 by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the number of bariatric surgeries in the United States more than quadrupled between 1998 and 2002. Because clinical evidence shows that the most experienced and best-run bariatric surgery programs have by far the lowest rates of complications, ASBS created the Centers of Excellence program to recognize bariatric surgery centers that perform well and to help surgeons and hospitals continue to improve quality and safety of care.