Bariatric Surgery Outcomes in US Accredited vs Non-Accredited Centers: A Systematic Review

BackgroundAccreditation for bariatric surgery has been scrutinized recently for its impact on surgical outcomes. This study aimed to systematically examine the medical literature to examine the impact of bariatric accreditation on surgical outcomes.Study DesignThe PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines and checklist were used. The MEDLINE database was searched for the following terms (2000 through September 2014): gastric bypass or bariatric surgery or sleeve gastrectomy or vertical banded gastroplasty or biliopancreatic diversion or duodenal switch or adjustable gastric band or weight loss surgery and accreditation or center of excellence or credentialing or national coverage decision or CMS or Medicare. Only studies in English and articles comparing accredited with non-accredited centers were included. Quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for evaluation of all studies.ResultsThirteen studies were published in a very short time frame and covered >1.5 million patients. Ten of the 13 studies identified a substantial benefit of Center of Excellence accreditation for risk-adjusted outcomes. Six of the 8 studies reported a considerable reduction in mortality in patients operated on in Centers of Excellence, with odds ratios ranging from 2.26 to 3.57 for non-accredited centers; 2 studies showed no significant difference. Similarly, morbidity was reduced in 8 of 11 studies, although more discreetly, with odds ratios ranging from 1.09 to 1.39.ConclusionsThis study found that the preponderance of medical evidence supports accreditation for bariatric surgery.