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In brief: Best in bariatrics
The national Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association has
honored three Central Pennsylvania hospitals
for their care of bariatric-surgery patients.
Penn State Milton
S. Hershey
Medical Center
and Community General Hospital – both in Dauphin
County – and York Hospital
were named Blue Distinction Centers for bariatric care. The goal of bariatric
surgery – also called gastric-bypass surgery – is to help patients lose weight
by reducing the size of their stomachs and limiting their bodies’ ability to
absorb nutrients from food.
The criteria for selection as a distinction center include
experience of staff performing the procedure, the use of appropriate equipment
and a commitment to quality improvement. The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
also honored nearby hospitals Geisinger Medical Center in Montour County,
Lehigh Valley Hospital and Sacred Heart Hospital in Lehigh County and Reading
Hospital and Medical Center in Berks County.
The Chicago-based association is a national federation of 39
independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance companies. Dauphin County-based
Capital BlueCross and Cumberland County-based Highmark Blue Shield are members
of the association.
