Lovelace Westside Hospital Earns National Recognition for Distinction in Bariatric Surgery

PRESS RELEASE

ALBUQUERQUE — October 23, 2015 – Lovelace Westside Hospital has been named a Blue Distinction Center for Bariatric Surgery

®

from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico for demonstrating better overall quality of care and patient results in bariatric surgery.

Blue Distinction

®

is a national designation awarded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies to medical facilities that have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality healthcare in the areas of bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip replacement, spine surgery or transplants.

To earn this designation, Lovelace Westside Hospital was evaluated based on an objective, evidence-based selection criteria established with input from expert physicians and medical organizations. The goal of Blue Distinction is to identify medical facilities that deliver better overall quality and medical outcomes for a specific area of specialty care, helping patients and doctors to make more informed hospital choices.

Dr. Duc Vuong, director of Lovelace Bariatrics at Lovelace Westside Hospital, uses cutting-edge technology and a unique approach to patient care, including a unique patient preoperative program to prepare bariatric patients for surgery. The hospital conducts over 198 surgeries each year.

“This designation is a tribute to the dedicated team of physicians, nurses, technicians and therapists who helped develop Lovelace Westside Hospital’s comprehensive program in bariatric surgery,” said Farron Sneed, CEO of Lovelace Westside Hospital. “Dr. Vuong and his team’s clinical expertise in this area of specialty care has resulted in better overall results for our patients.”