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J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital Recognized for Higher Quality in Bariatric Surgery

WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital has been recognized by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia with a Blue Distinction® Centers for Bariatric Surgery designation, as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.

Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated healthcare facilities that show a commitment to delivering high quality patient safety and better health outcomes, based on objective measures that were developed with input from the medical community and leading accreditation and quality organizations.

The Blue Distinction Centers for Bariatric Surgery program provides a full range of bariatric surgery care, including surgical care, post-operative care, outpatient follow-up care, and patient education.

Bariatric surgeries are among the most common elective surgeries in the U.S. — with more than 252,000 bariatric surgeries performed in 2018 based on a report from the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that nearly 42.7 percent of U.S. adults and 18.5 percent of youth are obese and are impacted by obesity-related health conditions. With obesity reaching epidemic levels among U.S. adults, a significant opportunity exists to improve quality care for bariatric surgeries within the national healthcare system.

“We are proud to be recognized by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia for meeting the rigorous Blue Distinction Center quality selection criteria for bariatric surgery set by the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program,” Lawrence Tabone, MD, MBA, director of Metabolic and Weight-Loss Surgery at Ruby Memorial, said.