MDNews - Long Island

outcomes. To eva luate that, ACS not only looks at outcomes, but at the pro- cesses that result in those outcomes. Site visitors eva luating our prog ra m look at ever y thing from how we treat lower-ex tremity blood clots to how we follow up with patients who miss their postoperative visits." PATIENT EXPERIENCE AT THE CORE Ultimately, an accredited hospital has to demonstrate not only excellence in its current processes, but a commitment to continuously improving those processes year after year. The team of providers at the Weight Loss Surgery Center at St. Charles Hospital constantly scrutinizes protocols A Multidisciplinary Approach for Total Patient Care THE RESEARCH ABOUT weight-loss surgery care demonstrates that multidisciplinary care is critical to patients' long-term success. The Weight Loss Surgery Center at St. Charles Hospital leverages this team approach in both the pre- and postoperative phase of care. A dietitian, mental health specialist, physical therapist and patient coordinator compose each patient's care team and provide education and support as needed throughout the weight-loss process in close collaboration with the bariatric surgeon. This care team may also consult with or facilitate patient access to other specialty resources within St. Charles Hospital, such as endocrinologists or joint pain specialists. "We also incorporate the primary care provider into the care program to ensure continu- ity," says John Angstadt, MD, FACS, FASMBS, weight-loss surgeon with the New York Bariatric Group, Chief of Bariatric Surgery at St. Charles Hospital. "We accommodate primary care providers by offering an easy referral process and allowing them to engage in the process as much as they are able." The preoperative process requires at least six months of evaluation and education for most patients. It involves routine visits with members of the care team to optimize nutritional intake and prepare the patient for dietary changes after surgery. Postoperatively, patients have appointments with the bariatric surgeon to monitor weight loss and regression of comorbidities and adjust diet and exercise regimens if needed. " Physicians who have been in medicine for 15 or 20 years were trained at a time when bariatric surgery had a bad name. Outcomes were inconsistent and often adverse, and most physicians today still remember that era. We need to be educating physicians about the strides that have been made in bariatrics over the last decade thanks to the establishment of accreditation and standards for excellence. We've come a long way, and St. Charles Hospital is at the forefront of that positive change." ˆJOHN ANGSTADT, MD, FACS, FASMBS, CHIEF OF BARIATRIC SURGERY, ST. CHARLES HOSPITAL Dr. Angstadt works to complete a sleeve gastrectomy. M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S L O N G I S L A N D ■ 2 016 0 7

• Cover