Surgical Review Corporation Appoints Jaime Ponce, M.D., FACS, Chair, Bariatric Surgery Review Committee

IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 12, 2008
Contact: Pam Greer-Ullrich, APR, M.A. Director, Communications 919.792.3772

Surgical Review Corporation Appoints Jaime Ponce, M.D., FACS, Chair, Bariatric Surgery Review Committee

RALEIGH, NC — Surgical Review Corporation’s (SRC) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Jaime Ponce, M.D., FACS, has been named Chair of the Bariatric Surgery Review Committee (BSRC). Ponce succeeds Harvey J. Sugerman, M.D., FACS, whose term ended in May.

Ponce is a private practitioner at Hamilton Medical Center in Dalton, Ga., and Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga, Tenn. He is a published author and international lecturer/speaker. Ponce is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honorary Medical Society, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and maintains memberships in the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons.

“It is a great honor to serve as the Chairman of the BSRC and follow the standards of excellence that the ASMBS has always advocated,” said Ponce. “For the past three years, the BSRC has dedicated its efforts to reviewing applicant programs and carefully defining the requirements needed to be designated as an ASMBS Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence®. With thousands of patients already entered into SRC’s Bariatric Outcomes Longitudinal Database™ (BOLD™), we can begin to evaluate outcomes to redefine, expand or relax the requirements without affecting the core message of excellence.”

The BSRC is composed of actively practicing bariatric surgeons representing both private practice and academic institutions from across the United States who review applications to become an ASMBS BSCOE. The Committee is also responsible for issuing clarification and interpretive guidelines for the BSCOE requirements and may recommend additional requirements or changes to the existing ones.

“Harvey Sugerman’s leadership has been a tremendous asset to our organization as both the Chair of the Bariatric Surgery Review Committee and as a member of SRC’s Board of Directors,” said Gary M. Pratt, SRC’s Chief Executive Officer. “Jaime Ponce has been an exemplary member of the BSRC for the past three years and is an excellent choice to succeed Dr. Sugerman.”

“Dr. Ponce is well-respected by his colleagues, as was evidenced by the Board of Directors’ unanimous choice as BSRC Chair,” added Neil E. Hutcher, M.D., FACS, Chair of SRC’s Board of Directors. “He’s a team player who’ll use the information from BOLD to ensure the BSCOE guidelines promote excellent care and outcomes for our patients.”

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Surgical Review Corporation (SRC) (www.surgicalreview.org) is an independent, non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting the delivery of surgical care with the highest levels of efficacy, efficiency and safety. SRC administers the Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence (BSCOE) program on behalf of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). The program is endorsed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and numerous other health insurers around the country. Data from SRC’s highly advanced and intricate database, BOLD™, will facilitate the formation of standards of care for the obese and diabetic patient population.