About MBSC
The MBSC is a regional, voluntary consortium of hospitals and surgeons that perform bariatric (weight loss) surgery in Michigan. The goal of the project is to improve the quality of care for patients undergoing bariatric surgery.
To do this, the participating hospitals submit data to the MBSC clinical outcomes registry. Three times per year, the group meets to examine these data and to design and implement changes in care that result in better outcomes for bariatric patients. The project is funded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan/Blue Care Network (BCBSM/BCN) and coordinated at the University of Michigan.
Presently, there are 40-plus Michigan hospitals participating in MBSC. Data are collected for the following weight-loss procedures:
- Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB)
- Open RYGB
- Laparoscopic Gastric Banding
- Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy
- Biliopancreatic Diversion
- Biliopancreatic Diversion and Duodenal Switch
- Gastric Balloon
Clinical Registry
With over 80,000 patients in its clinical registry, MBSC is the largest population-based Bariatric Surgery clinical registry in the world. Participating hospitals submit data from a review of the medical records for all of their bariatric surgery patients. This review is conducted for each patient at the end of the peri-operative period (in-hospital/30 days after surgery).
Data collected include information regarding pre-operative clinical characteristics and conditions, as well as peri-operative clinical care and outcomes. Each patient in the database is assigned a unique study identification number by the participating site prior to submission of the data to the coordinating center. This process ensures that the clinical registry contains no sensitive, identifiable personal information such as name or social security number.
Patient Survey Database
The MBSC participating hospitals also invite their bariatric surgery patients to participate in the MBSC Patient Survey Database. Patients that agree to participate complete a survey prior to surgery and another annually from the date of their surgery for five years. These surveys include information about the patient's current medications and weight, late complications and quality of life. The MBSC has follow-up information for more than 38,000 patients.
Quality Improvement Program
The MBSC participants meet three times per year to review and compare data and to develop and broadly implement strategies to improve bariatric care and outcomes at all sites. Quality Improvement (QI) projects are chosen by the collaborative and implemented across all participating hospitals. Clinical areas are chosen as QI projects for a variety of reasons, which include: Inter-institutional variation, lack of consensus, room for improvement, high-yield clinical implications and cost-saving potential.
To date, MBSC has implemented and completed the following three QI projects, all of which have resulted in improved patient care and cost savings:
- Reducing Emergency Department (ED) Visit Rate
- Reducing Use of Pre-operative Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filter Placement
- MBSC Program Establishment