Palmdale Regional Medical Center Receives the 2020 Women’s Choice Award® as One of America’s Best Hospitals for Bariatric Surgery

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Palmdale Regional Medical Center has been named as one of America’s Best Hospitals for Bariatric Surgery by the Women’s Choice Award®, America’s trusted referral source for the best in healthcare. The award signifies that Palmdale Regional Medical Center is in the top eight percent of 4,812 U.S. hospitals reviewed.

The methodology for the bariatric surgery award is unique in that it combines national accreditations, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey results and hospital outcome scores with primary research about women’s healthcare preferences. It is the only award recognizing excellence in bariatric surgery based on robust criteria that consider patient satisfaction and clinical excellence.

Palmdale Regional Medical Center achieved the America’s Best distinction by meeting the following criteria:

  • Accreditation by the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery joint-sponsored Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP)
  • At least 72 percent of patients reporting on the HCAHPS survey said that they would definitely recommend the hospital
  • A high patient safety ranking based on 11 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ measures of infection and complication rates

Palmdale Regional Medical Center is one of 396 award recipients representing the hospitals that have met the highest standards for bariatric surgery across the U.S.

"Women tend to be very selective when choosing hospitals. We take pride in helping them choose with confidence by verifying the hospitals that are the very best at providing patient care," said Delia Passi, Founder and CEO of the Women’s Choice Award. "There are many women who struggle with their weight, especially as they age. For some, diet and exercise alone aren’t enough and they need to turn to bariatric procedures to reduce their weight for their overall good health."

An American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery study found that the risk of death from any cause is considerably less for bariatric patients than for individuals affected by severe obesity who have never had the surgery. The data shows that cancer mortality is reduced by 60 percent for bariatric surgery patients and death as a result of diabetes and heart disease is reduced by more than 90 percent and 50 percent, respectively.

"Our weight-loss surgery program here at Palmdale Regional Medical Center is robust to say the least," says Richard Allen, CEO. "We are MBSAQIP accredited, an Aetna Institute of Quality, a Blue Cross ‘Blue Distinction’ Center and will be awarded the Blue Cross ‘Blue Distinction Center+’ designation beginning in January of 2021. We are honored to have now received the Women’s Choice Award for this program."