Unified National Accreditation Program for Bariatric Surgery Centers Announced by American College of Surgeons and American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery

Joint Program FAQs

The American College of Surgeons Bariatric Surgery Center Network Accreditation Program (ACS BSCN) accredits facilities in the United States that have undergone an independent, voluntary and rigorous peer evaluation in accordance with nationally recognized bariatric surgical standards.  Bariatric surgery accreditation not only promotes uniform standard benchmarks, but also supports continuous quality improvement

In the United States, more than 11 million people suffer from severe obesity and an estimated 93 million people are obese.  The co-morbidities associated with obesity range from diabetes and heart disease to certain types of cancers.  Bariatric surgical procedures have been shown to reduce obesity, improve mortality and decrease the health risks from chronic diseases such as cardiomyopathy and diabetes.  For these reasons, the ACS BSCN Accreditation Program will recognize those facilities that implement defined ACS BSCN standards of care, document their outcomes and participate in regular reviews to evaluate their bariatric surgical programs.