Harlem Hospital

The Department of Bariatric and Metabolic Services at Harlem Hospital has been named a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence and has been designated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide the surgery to Medicaid patients.

In naming Harlem a Bariatric Center of Excellence, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the Surgical Review Corporation acknowledged that the bariatric surgery program at Harlem provides safe, high quality care to the morbidly obese patient. The department went through a series of site inspections where the surgical program and patient outcomes were rigorously evaluated.

Under the leadership of Dr. Leaque Ahmed, Chief of Bariatric Surgery, the department includes a team of multidisciplinary professionals: bariatric surgeons, endocrinologists, psychologists, nutritionists and physician assistants, who work together to provide continuity of care before and after bariatric surgery. Obesity is a major health concern in New York City and is common in residents of all ages in Harlem.

June 2010