In an effort to improve the quality of service offered to morbidly obese and patients with metabolic disorders worldwide, IFSO elected to form a Credentialing Committee that will advise and assist national and regional 'Centres of Excellence' programs. The creation of guidelines that could be applied to different global areas and define surgeon's credentials and institutional requirements for safe and efficient management of morbidly obese and patients with metabolic disorders was the main task.
The implementation of the guidelines, and their evolution to Centres of Excellence (COE) programs, in countries or geographically homogenous areas, would be applied by IFSO regional chapters in collaboration with the national bariatric and metabolic societies.
In Europe, Middle East and Africa, IFSO European Chapter (IFSO-EC) will supervise and endorse the Centre of Excellence program for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery.
Institutions and Surgeons that could be certified by an independent company, the European Accreditation Council for Bariatric Surgery (EAC-BS), as offering outstanding management to their morbidly obese patients, would be approved as Centres of Excellence by IFSO-EC.