The Surgical Weight Loss Institute is very proud to be designated SRC Centers of Excellence at both Hialeah Hospital and the University of Miami Hospital. We gained those designations in 2006.

Bariatric surgery is a complex and challenging undertaking. Many of the patients present sharply increased surgical risks. Psychosocial challenges and the uncontrolled complications of morbid obesity require highly competent and compassionate support. Furniture, hospital equipment, instruments and imaging resources must be suitable to deal with patients who often exceed their ideal body weight by more than 100 pounds. Especially important is a well-trained staff, capable of dealing with the physical and emotional demands of the morbidly obese.

Faced with these issues, the leadership of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) identified the need to recognize the centers that perform well and to help surgeons and hospitals reach optimal levels of performance. The Surgical Review Corporation was formed as an independent, non-profit corporation and charged with implementing and administering the ASMBS Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence® program.

Hospitals and surgeons qualify for designation as an American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence® (BSCOE) by participating in a rigorous evaluation process designed to document that they have a comprehensive program and meet the established program requirements for providing safe bariatric surgical care with excellent short- and long-term outcomes. The evaluation not only documents process, i.e., equipment, supplies, training of surgeons and staff and the availability of consultant services — but emphasizes results.