MBSAQIP and the Value of Accreditation

Within the last 30 years quality improvement and accreditation have become part of the surgical lexicon. However, standardization with the intent to improve surgical outcomes in North America has its origins in the early years of the twentieth century. Currently, there are hundreds of quality and safety programs that govern standards within every aspect of healthcare. These programs have transformed the landscape and economy of healthcare in the twenty-first century. Insurance companies and bill-payers for healthcare have gravitated toward funding procedures performed at accredited facilities. The Metabolic and Bariatric Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program started as a collaboration between the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery in 2012 to ensure that centers performing metabolic and bariatric surgery meet the highest standards for patient care and safety. Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program has had a profound impact on the quality and safety of metabolic and bariatric surgery.