Bariatric Surgery Collaborative wins national Distinguished Service Award

The Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative, one of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s Collaborative Quality Initiatives, received a Distinguished Service Award from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

The award is given to members or programs that have made notable and outstanding contributions to the field of metabolic and bariatric surgery, not only through their work, but through their demonstrated commitment to ASMBS and its mission.

The collaborative has made significant strides in improving outcomes for bariatric surgery, including lowering blood clot rates by 20% and surgical site infection rates by 70%.

MBSC continues to produce incredible results and drive improvement in bariatric surgery, said Dr. Faris Ahmad, the Blue Cross clinical lead for MBSC. They’re always looking to move the needle forward, and the award they received from ASMBS is well deserved.

MBSC also has created patient- and provider-focused tools, which include:

My Weight Loss Journey app that helps patients make decisions about bariatric surgery
Weigh the Odds calculator that provides patient-specific information on risks of blood clots and other complications
Primary care provider toolkit with information relevant to primary care physicians

A current program focus is reducing readmissions and emergency room visits. The collaborative has implemented a wristband and wallet card program to give patients easy access to the number they can call to help guide their site-of-care decisions if they’re experiencing post-surgery complications.

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