How to identify an accredited program

Independent accreditations to look for

• MBSAQIP — the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (U.S. programs).
• SRC Center of Excellence — Surgical Review Corporation international accreditation.
• Joint Commission International (JCI) — hospital-level accreditation recognized worldwide.

Questions to ask any program

• What is the program's annual case volume, and how long has it operated?
• Is the program independently accredited? By whom? When was the last review?
• Is there a multidisciplinary evaluation before surgery is offered?
• What are the program's published complication and mortality rates?
• What is the long-term follow-up plan, and how are patients supported after discharge?

Red flags

• No independent accreditation or refusal to name it
• No multidisciplinary evaluation before offering a procedure
• Marketing that guarantees a specific weight-loss outcome
• No long-term follow-up plan

If you are considering coordinated evaluation with the Obesity Control Center (OCC), the program's accreditations and published outcomes are listed on our accreditation and science & evidence pages.