Surgical outcomes vary at bariatric centers of excellence

Editor's Note

Center accreditation alone does not ensure high-quality care for bariatric surgical patients, this study finds.

In this analysis of 145,527 patients across 165 bariatric centers of excellence, serious complication rates varied 17-fold at the national level and 2.1-fold at the state level.

Complication rates varied at centers with low volume (0.6%-6.4%), medium volume (0.6%-10.3%), and high volume (0.6%-4.9%).

Because a large proportion of centers are geographically located near higher-performing centers, regional collaboratives or selective referral should be considered, the authors say.

Question How much variation in surgical outcomes exists among bariatric centers of excellence in the United States? Findings In this analysis of claims data from 145 527 patients who underwent bariatric procedures, there was a 17-fold variation in rates of serious complications across accredited bariatric centers nationally and up to 9.5-fold variation across individual states.