MBSAQIP accreditation is the American College of Surgeons (ACS) program that accredits inpatient and outpatient bariatric surgery centers in the United States and Canada against the Optimal Resources for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery standards. This page is for bariatric program administrators preparing a first application, a new designation or a renewal. Integral Healthcare Solutions (IHS) builds the governance, education controls and evidence for bariatric accreditation; your surgeons own patient selection and outcomes.

Last reviewed: October 2026.

What is MBSAQIP accreditation?

ACS describes the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program as "dedicated to enhancing the safety and quality of care for bariatric patients in the United States and Canada," and "Applicable to both inpatient and outpatient bariatric surgery centers" (ACS, MBSAQIP).

The governing text is Optimal Resources for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (2026 Standards), effective July 1, 2026. ACS states: "Centers undergoing site visits before July 1, 2026, will continue using the Revised 2022 Standards" (ACS, MBSAQIP Standards). The 2026 Standards add three designations: Low Acuity Center with Obesity Medicine Qualifications, Ambulatory Surgery Center with Obesity Medicine Qualifications, and Adolescent Center with Obesity Medicine Qualifications (same page).

Who needs it and what triggers it

The buyer is the administrator of a bariatric surgery program, inpatient or outpatient. The triggers:

• A new center. ACS's packet sets the entry point: "When your center has all elements of compliance in place and has met the required volume for the designation level desired, then your center may apply for accreditation!" (MBSAQIP New Center Information Packet, updated 10/14/2024).
• A new designation under the 2026 Standards. The three Obesity Medicine Qualifications designations are new in the 2026 edition (ACS, MBSAQIP Standards).
• Renewal. A center "remain[s] accredited for a 3-year term" (ACS, MBSAQIP Accreditation), and ACS states that "Renewal center site visits are completed via a virtual format" (ACS, MBSAQIP FAQs).

The MBSAQIP process and timeline

ACS lists these steps for a new center (ACS, MBSAQIP Accreditation):

1. "Review MBSAQIP Standards to determine eligibility and appropriate designation level"
2. "Submit online application"
3. "Center must meet compliance measures for all applicable Standards"
4. "Center submits compete PRQ through the MBSAQIP Quality Portal" (ACS's wording)
5. "Center is assigned a surgeon Site Visit Reviewer and must complete a site visit within 6 months"

On timing, ACS's FAQ says: "In most cases, you can expect to receive your PRQ 1-2 months after initial application," and "Site visits for initial centers are generally scheduled for about 5-7 months after the PRQ is issued" (ACS, MBSAQIP FAQs). The packet says the process "overall takes approximately 6-9 months from when the application was first received" (New Center Information Packet). Once granted, accreditation "is effective retroactive to the date of the site visit" (accreditation page).

How IHS helps

Your program chooses its route. MBSAQIP is ACS's bariatric accreditation. The Joint Commission offers Disease-Specific Care Certification to Joint Commission accredited organizations, but we could not confirm a bariatric-specific certification (see the comparison below). IHS then works on the documentation side. The process:

1. Gap assessment. IHS reads your program against the MBSAQIP standards, or, if the client confirms a Joint Commission route with The Joint Commission, those requirements.
2. Questionnaires. IHS sends questionnaires on governance, patient education materials, follow-up and data review.
3. Document and evidence mapping. IHS builds a crosswalk from each requirement to its evidence, which also feeds the PRQ.
4. Drafting. IHS drafts governance records, patient-education document controls, follow-up responsibilities and data-review procedures for your surgeons and program leaders to approve.
5. Mock review. IHS reviews the file against the standards as a reviewer would and lists what is missing.
6. Readiness support. IHS drafts responses to findings for your center to submit.

What you supply: the standards, program data, your education materials and your surgeons' clinical decisions.

The limit: registry data and clinical pathways need your surgeons and data staff. IHS does not enter or interpret clinical data and does not make patient-selection decisions. Your center submits the application and the PRQ and handles every exchange with ACS or The Joint Commission.

What to have ready

Each item ties to the ACS pages and packet read on 2 October 2026.

• The Optimal Resources for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (2026 Standards), which ACS states are effective July 1, 2026 (standards page).
• A designation decision, made by reviewing the standards "to determine eligibility and appropriate designation level" (accreditation page).
• Case-volume data against the "required volume for the designation level desired" (New Center Information Packet). The ACS standards page does not state the thresholds; confirm where ACS publishes them for your designation.
• Evidence that the center meets "compliance measures for all applicable Standards" before it applies (accreditation page).
• A named owner and source records for the PRQ, which the center "submits ... through the MBSAQIP Quality Portal" (accreditation page).
• Patient education materials under document control.
• A schedule that allows a site visit "within 6 months" of reviewer assignment (accreditation page).
• For an initial center, plans for an in-person visit: "At present, initial sites undergo in-person site visits" (FAQs).
• A budget line for the "annual participation fee" invoiced at contracting (accreditation page and packet).

The introductory call is the place to go through this list against your program today.

How it compares

The Joint Commission says Disease-Specific Care Certification options "are available for Joint Commission accredited organizations that provide a disease-specific care program that has: A formal program structure. A standardized method of clinical care delivery based on clinical practice guidelines/evidence-based practices. An organized approach to performance measurement" (The Joint Commission). "Certification is awarded upon successful completion of an on-site review," and certified programs "are required to adopt a set of standardized performance measures. Organizations collect monthly data for each measure in the set. The data is then submitted quarterly." The Disease-Specific Care page we read lists category options such as Cardiac, Endocrine, Gastrointestinal and Orthopedic and does not name bariatric surgery; confirm the fit with The Joint Commission before choosing that route.

Related ACS programs: ACS Quality Verification Program readiness and ACS Geriatric Surgery Verification. See all Accreditation Consulting services.

What it costs

The cost has two parts: the ACS fees and your own staff and surgeon time. MBSAQIP charges an "annual participation fee" invoiced at contracting, but ACS does not publish a fee schedule on the pages we reviewed. The Joint Commission page we read states no fee. IHS prices its own work after a free introductory call.

What this is not

• IHS is not part of ACS or The Joint Commission. It does not grant, influence or predict an accreditation or certification decision.
• IHS does not submit to ACS or The Joint Commission or act for your center before either. Your center applies, submits and corresponds.
• IHS does not make clinical decisions. Patient selection, surgical care and outcomes belong to your surgeons, and this page is not clinical advice.

Frequently asked questions

What is MBSAQIP accreditation?

It is the ACS Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, "dedicated to enhancing the safety and quality of care for bariatric patients in the United States and Canada" (ACS). It is "Applicable to both inpatient and outpatient bariatric surgery centers."

Which MBSAQIP standards apply to our site visit?

The Optimal Resources for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (2026 Standards) took effect July 1, 2026. ACS states that "Centers undergoing site visits before July 1, 2026, will continue using the Revised 2022 Standards" (ACS, MBSAQIP Standards).

What designations do the 2026 MBSAQIP standards add?

Three: Low Acuity Center with Obesity Medicine Qualifications, Ambulatory Surgery Center with Obesity Medicine Qualifications, and Adolescent Center with Obesity Medicine Qualifications. ACS's first step for a new center is to "Review MBSAQIP Standards to determine eligibility and appropriate designation level."

What case volume does a bariatric program need before applying?

ACS says a center may apply when it "has all elements of compliance in place and has met the required volume for the designation level desired" (New Center Information Packet). The ACS standards page does not state the thresholds; confirm where ACS publishes them for your designation.

How long does MBSAQIP accreditation take?

ACS's packet says the process "overall takes approximately 6-9 months from when the application was first received" (New Center Information Packet, updated 10/14/2024, before the 2026 Standards). The FAQ says the PRQ usually arrives "1-2 months after initial application" and initial site visits are "generally scheduled for about 5-7 months after the PRQ is issued" (ACS FAQs).

What is the MBSAQIP PRQ?

It is the questionnaire the center completes in the step before reviewer assignment and the site visit. ACS's step list says the center "submits compete PRQ through the MBSAQIP Quality Portal" (ACS's wording) after it meets compliance measures for all applicable standards.

Is the MBSAQIP site visit in person or virtual?

Both, depending on the center. ACS states: "At present, initial sites undergo in-person site visits. Renewal center site visits are completed via a virtual format."

How long does MBSAQIP accreditation last, and what does it cost?

Accreditation "is effective retroactive to the date of the site visit" and lasts "for a 3-year term" (ACS). MBSAQIP charges an "annual participation fee" invoiced at contracting; ACS does not publish the amount on the pages we reviewed.

Can a bariatric program use Joint Commission certification instead?

The Joint Commission offers Disease-Specific Care Certification to "Joint Commission accredited organizations" with a formal program structure, guideline-based care and performance measurement (The Joint Commission). The page we read does not name bariatric surgery among its categories, so confirm the fit with The Joint Commission. IHS does not recommend one route over the other.