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Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Named Bariatric Center of Excellence

December 14, 2006
Designation Recognizes Hospital for High Quality Bariatric Surgery

Fairfax, VA -- The American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS) has named Inova Fair Oaks Hospital a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence. The ASBS Center of Excellence designation recognizes surgical programs with a demonstrated track record for high quality bariatric surgery.

The ASBS Center of Excellence program was created to recognize bariatric surgery centers that perform well and to help surgeons and hospitals continue to improve the quality and safety of care provided. According to a study released in July 2005 by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the number of U.S. bariatric surgeries more than quadrupled between 1998 and 2002 – from 13,386 to 71,733. Also, clinical evidence shows that the most experienced and best-run bariatric surgery programs have by far the lowest rates of complications.

“It is an honor to be recognized by your peers and industry experts as a leading provider of bariatric procedures,” says Amir Moazzez, MD, bariatric surgeon, Inova Fair Oaks Hospital. “We’re hopeful that our designation as a Center of Excellence will help us shed more light on the importance of treating the devastating disease of obesity.”

"Obesity in our area is reaching epidemic proportions and paralleling that of the world,” says Osvaldo Anez, MD, medical director, bariatrics, Inova Fair Oaks Hospital. “We are proud to be recognized as having a quality program available for those patients who choose surgery as the best alternative for them to improve their health."

To earn a Center of Excellence designation, Inova Fair Oaks Hospital underwent a site inspection during which all aspects of the program’s surgical processes were closely examined and data on health outcomes was collected.

According to the National Institute of Health, bariatric surgery is the only effective therapy for morbid obesity and its complications. A variety of bariatric surgical procedures can provide full remission of many co-morbidities associated with obesity, including diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, asthma, cardiopulmonary failure, and infertility. For more information about Inova Fair Oaks Hospital’s bariatric program, call 703-391-3783.