The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Integrated Health Committee: Highlights and Year in Review

Column Editor: Laura Boyer, RN, CBN
President of the Integrated Health Section of the  ASMBS; Director of Clinical Systems for The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana in Covington, Louisiana

This month: The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Integrated Health Committee: Highlights and Year in Review
by Laura Boyer, RN, CBN

Bariatric Times. 2012;9(6):28–29Funding: No funding was provided in the preparation of this manuscript.

Financial disclosures: The author reports no conflicts of interest relevant to the content of this article.

Kudos to the Integrated Health Clinical Issues and Guidelines Committee for Development of Gastric Band Adjustment Credentialing Guidelines for Physician Extenders. A draft detailing gastric band adjutment credentialing guidelines, developed by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Integrated Health (IH) Clinical Issues and Guidelines Committee, was sent to the ASMBS membership for comment. The ASMBS is scheduled to release the final version of the document in June 2012. Congratulations on a job well done to the ad hoc committee members: Pam Davis, RN, BSN, CBN (IHCIGC chair); Lisa West-Smith PhD, LCSW (co-chair); Jaime Ponce, MD, FASMBS; Laura Baldwin, RN, CBN; Emma Patterson, MD, FASMBS; Melissa Davis, MSN,APRN BC, CNS; Karen Flanders, NP, CBN; Lisa Gergen, MSN, FNP, CBN; Terry McKenzie, RN, CBN; Paula Kilgore, RN, CBN; Bonnie Nece, ARNP-BC, CBN; Debra Proulx, RN, BHS, MBA, CBN; and ASMBS liaison Barbara Peck.

In keeping with the ASMBS IH Strategic Plan, IH committees are developing goals that will further the reputation of the ASMBS as the “go to” resource for information regarding the care of bariatric and metabolic surgery patients and the significance of the multidisciplinary care team. To that end, the IH Clinical Issues and Guidelines Committee is working on revision of the Nutritional Guidelines and the Psychological Evaluation Guidelines. They are also collaborating with the American College of Sports Medicine to develop exercise guidelines for bariatric surgery patients.

ASMBS IH Section Work to Communicate with Membership, Encourage Members to Join a Committe. In 2011, The Support Group Committee (Stephen Ritz, PhD, chair) and the Multidisciplinary Care Committee (Tracy Martinez, RN BSN, CBN, chair) have also set their goals in alignment with the Strategic Plan. The IH Communication Committee (Nate Sann, FNP-BC MSN, chair) was recently developed to help meet the needs of the IH section regarding the website and other ASMBS communication, and will work closely with the organizational Communication Committee.

To serve the needs of the IH membership, the IH leadership is making a concentrated effort to be more transparent and inclusive, and one way to achieve this is to use the internet to reach out to members. IH members are encouraged to visit the Join a Committee page on the ASMBS website  http://asmbs.org/asmbs-committees-get-involved/ to submit your CV and express your interest in serving on a committee.

The 2012 Circle of Excellence Award. Each year, the Circle of Excellence is awarded by the Integrated Health Executive Council (IHEC) to an outstanding professional who has made a significant contribution to the Integrated Health Section of the ASMBS.

This year, the IHEC requested nominations from the IH membership. We received several nominations of deserving candidates. We are pleased to annouce the 2012 recipient of the Circle of Excellence Award, David Sarwer, PhD. Dr. Sarwer is Associate Professor of Psychology, Departments of Psychiatry and Surgery, and Director of Clinical Services, Center for Weight and Eating Disorders at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Upon learning of the award, Dr. Sarwer responded, “I’m  honored, as I think it says important things about the role of mental health professionals as part of the IH team.”

Previous recipients of the Circle of Excellence Award include:
2000—George Cowan, MD
2001—Alan Wittgrove, MD
2002—Melanie Moorehead, PhD
2003—Walter Lindstrom, Esq
2004—Cynthia Buffington, PhD
2005—Bryan Woodward, MPH
2006—Tracy Martinez, RN, BSN, CBN
2007— William Gourash, MSN, CRNP
2008—Georgeann N. Mallory, RD
2009—Bobbie Lou Price, BSN, RN, CBN
2010—Jessie Moore, APRN
2011—Christopher Still, DO

I would like to encourage all IH members to keep the Circle of Excellence award in mind over the next year and to nominate colleagues who make extraordinary contributions to our specialty.

Recent changes in the process for nomination and election of members of the IH Executive Council resulted in the highest interest and participation of the membership online. The opportunity to nominate and vote for these positions online concluded on Tuesday, May 23, 2012. The newly elected Council members are as follows:
IH President Elect—Christine Bauer, RN MSN CBN
IH Secretary—Julie Parrott, MS RD CPT
IH Member at Large (Nursing)—Pamela Davis, RN, BSN, CBN,CCM
IH Member at Large (Any Discipline)—Karen Flanders, NP, CBN

Let Your IH Voices Be Heard! The latest development of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBS-AQIP) has presented us with the opportunity to participate in real- time data analysis and quality improvement initiatives within our individual bariatric surgery programs. In the future, it will give the multidisciplinary care team an opportunity to collect data that can validate our value and our influence on outcomes. The proposed New Quality Matrix will be presented to the membership for comment. You can read it now by visiting www.asmbs.org and clicking on MSB-AQIP tab.

I would like to stress the importance of input from IH members and surgeons regarding the significance of the mulitidisciplinary care team.
We all have busy work schedules and personal lives and it is therefore understandably challenging to increase involvement in ASMBS issues and committees. Responding to surveys and requests for comment are two of the most efficient and impactful ways to participate. It is important to be heard and to use our collective voice to address issues that affect the care of our patients and how we deliver that care.

I would like to thank all of the IH members who have voted, submitted nominations, and offered comments throughout the year and I look forward to increased participation from all of the IH members.

Category: Hot Topics in Integrated Health, Past Articles