For Immediate Release
Date: June 6, 2008
Contact: Charlene Wilkins
(703) 670-1236
Woodbridge, Va…Potomac Hospital has been designated a Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery* by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia.
Obesity is widely recognized as a contributor to serious health risks. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the total number of bariatric surgeries increased 400 percent from 1998 to 2004.Bariatric surgery may help some individuals reduce extreme obesity and its associated health risks, and Blue Distinction provides objective information to help them make informed decisions when choosing a provider.
Potomac Hospital’ Weight Loss Surgery Center provides a full range of bariatric surgery care services, including inpatient care, post-operative care, outpatient follow-up and patient education.
Blue Distinction® is a designation awarded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies to medical facilities that have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality healthcare. The designation is based on rigorous, evidence-based selection criteria established in collaboration with leading clinicians, medical societies and professional organizations. Today, more than 800 Blue Distinction Center designations have been awarded to facilities nationwide, providing consumers with a framework for making informed decisions on where to go for specialty care in the areas of bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, and transplants.
*Designation as Blue Distinction Centers means these facilities’ overall experience and aggregate data met objective criteria established in collaboration with expert clinicians’’ and leading professional organizations’ recommendations. Individual outcomes may vary. To find out which services are covered under your policy at any facilities, please call your local Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield Plan.
About Potomac Hospital’s Weight Loss Surgery Center
Potomac Hospital’s Weight Loss Surgery Center has been named a Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). The ASMBS Center of Excellence designation recognizes surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of excellent outcomes in bariatric surgery.
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