Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – St. Bernards Medical Center announced it received a new national accreditation after demonstrating a commitment to providing safe and effective metabolic and bariatric surgery procedures. 

The accreditation, known as the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), is a comprehensive, nationwide surgical quality program that promotes safe and effective metabolic and bariatric surgery.

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) jointly administer and collaborate on MBSAQIP, advancing quality surgical outcomes focused on weight loss and the treatment of obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes, sleep apnea, and more. Research shows that accredited centers experience lower complication rates and better outcomes than non-accredited facilities.

St. Bernards General Surgeon Willie Harper Jr., M.D., led the organization’s efforts to achieve accreditation. Dr. Harper has pioneered the region’s metabolic and bariatric procedures, including a gastric bypass surgery in 2024 that marked Arkansas’s first da Vinci 5 robotic surgical procedure.

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“We strive to give patients the safest, most effective path toward long-term health,” Dr. Harper said. “When someone makes the important decision to pursue weight loss, they should receive world-class, comprehensive bariatric care close to home. This designation reinforces that St. Bernards meets the absolute highest benchmarks of quality and safety.”

As an MBSAQIP-accredited hospital, St. Bernards Medical Center also becomes an ACS Surgical Quality Partner. Being a Surgical Quality Partner signifies a hospital’s dedication to improving procedures and approaches consistently, while maintaining a critical eye on processes.

The Surgical Quality Partner designation lets patients know that St. Bernards is dedicated to quality and relentless self-improvement, and that it has been verified or accredited by the ACS. Patients can trust that the care they receive at Surgical Quality Partner hospitals adheres to the most rigorous standards in surgical quality.

“ACS Quality programs are grounded in more than a century of experience, and participation is an important measure of a hospital’s surgical quality. As an ACS Surgical Quality Partner, St. Bernards Medical Center has shown a commitment [to] providing the best possible patient care, evaluating that care in a rigorous fashion, and dedicating themselves to continuous self-improvement,” said ACS Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS.

More information about the MBSAQIP is found here.

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