Foothill Regional Named a Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery By Blue Cross/Blue Shield

Foothill Regional Medical Center has been named a Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated healthcare facilities shown to deliver improved patient safety and better health outcomes, based on objective measures developed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies with input from the medical community.

“This is a major milestone for Foothill Regional Medical Center,” said CEO Araceli Lonergan. “We thank our dedicated physicians and staff for their hard work and dedication to providing the best bariatric care for our communities.”

The Blue Distinction is just the latest outcome-related designation Foothill Regional’s weight-loss surgery program has received. Last year, the bariatric program was accredited as a Comprehensive Center for Bariatric Surgery under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, a joint program of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

“These accolades illustrate our commitment to ensuring that every patient who comes to us for weight-loss surgery receives the highest-quality, compassionate care,” said Dr. Atif Iqbal, program medical director.

Blue Distinction Specialty Care focuses on hospitals and other healthcare facilities that excel in delivering safe, effective treatment for specialty procedures, such as knee and hip replacements, cardiac care, weight-loss surgery and transplants.

Weight-loss surgery can be a lifesaving and life-changing treatment for severely obese patients who have not had success with traditional, medically supervised weight-loss strategies such as diet, exercise or medication. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 93.3 million U.S. adults are obese. Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer that are some of the leading causes of preventable, premature death.

Learn more about Foothill Regional Medical Center’s Weight-Loss Surgery Program or call (714) 619-7700 ext. 3316.