Hickory, NC – The Surgical Weight Loss Program at Frye Regional Medical Center has been approved as an American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS) Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence.

Frye’s Surgical Weight Loss program received accreditation from the ASBS on August 31, 2005, after a rigorous review by the ASBS Surgical Review Corporation that examined safety, surgical outcomes, quality of care and overall performance. The Surgical Review Corporation is a pioneering organization whose mission is to promote the delivery of bariatric surgical care with the highest levels of efficacy, efficiency and safety.

Since its inception in 2001, more than 640 patients have undergone the laparoscopic Roux en Y Gastric Bypass procedure through the Surgical Weight Loss Program at Frye with a collective weight loss of over 64,000 pounds. The program offers 24-hour support; physical, emotional and social counseling; privacy and confidentiality; and is the longest established program in the unifour area. The Surgical Weight Loss Program at Frye is also designated as a Blue Cross Blue Shield Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence and has achieved five-star patient satisfaction for two years in a row based on a Tenet survey of its affiliated hospitals.

The program is designed for the very obese, 100 pounds or more overweight or with a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 40, who have tried many other weight loss programs and have failed. The patient must meet the medical criteria established for this program.

For an assessment or to learn more about the Surgical Weight Loss Program at Frye Regional Medical Center, please call (828) 315-5577 or visit www.fryemedctr.com.

Frye Regional Medical Center , part of Tenet North Carolina, is a 355-bed acute care facility located at 420 North Center Street in Hickory, NC. The hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of Catawba County since 1911. The hospital’s main campus includes a comprehensive heart center and cardiopulmonary rehab, skilled nursing unit, orthopedics, bariatric surgery, inpatient rehabilitation unit, outpatient rehabilitation services, pediatrics, center for neurosciences, cancer center and women’s pavilion. Frye has several extended campuses to serve families throughout the area including: Frye Wellness and Education Center which houses the Center For Diabetes Self-Management Care, perinatal education and community wellness classes; South Campus for psychiatric services; Viewmont and Tate Surgery Centers; Vein and Wound Center/Infusion Care; Pain Center; Piedmont Therapy, offering sports and industrial rehabilitation; an urgent care facility; FryeCare, an outpatient diagnostic facility; Alexander Campus, which provides 24 hour emergency care along with diagnostic and laboratory services and infusion care; plus HealthPoint, which provides extensive industrial services and programs to employers.

Frye Regional Medical Center is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. To learn more about the hospital, visit www.fryemedctr.com.