Excellence
Holston Valley Medical Center and the Comprehensive Weight Management Center, in collaboration with Surgical Associates of Kingsport, have been designated by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence.
Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence
The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery – or ASMBS – established a Centers of Excellence program to accredit those bariatric centers that consistently deliver optimal levels of performance and demonstrate exceptional patient outcomes. This program promotes patient safety, patient advocacy, and continuous improvement.
Surgical Review Corporation administers the Centers of Excellence Program and describes it as follows: “Hospitals and surgeons qualify for designation as an American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence® (BSCOE) by participating in a rigorous evaluation process designed to document that they have a comprehensive program and meet the established program requirements for providing safe bariatric surgical care with excellent short- and long-term outcomes. The evaluation not only documents process, i.e., equipment, supplies, training of surgeons and staff and the availability of consultant services — but emphasizes results.”
Your team at the Comprehensive Weight Management Center includes experienced board-certified bariatric surgeons, a board-certified nurse practitioner to collaborate with your team of surgeons for medical care and help facilitate your progress, a licensed practical nurse insurance referral coordinator and clinical assistant to help you navigate insurance requirements and program steps, a registered dietitian to help you make the best and most nutritious food choices as you begin down the road to your new life and hospital physicians and staff members who are experienced and knowledgeable about weight loss surgery.
Team members
Andrew Kramer, DO, FACOS, Surgeon
Dr. Andrew Kramer incorporated bariatric surgery into his practice in Lebanon, Va., in 2000 and has since performed more than 1,000 weight-loss surgeries. He also has personal experience as a bariatric patient, having undergone a laparoscopic gastric bypass in 2004. Board certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Surgery in General Surgery and a fellow in the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons, he is affiliated with Surgical Associates of Kingsport and serves as the bariatric program medical director for the Comprehensive Weight Management Center at Holston Valley. He is recognized by ASMBS as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence surgeon. Dr. Kramer was a founding member of the Virginia Bariatric Society and is also a member of the Tennessee Bariatric Society.
Mark Kadowaki, MD, FACS, Surgeon
Dr. Mark Kadowaki received his medical degree from University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine in 1986 and completed his residency at University of Chicago Hospitals in 1992. He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery. Dr Kadowaki is a fellow in the American College of Surgeons and is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons. He is also an instructor and course director for advanced trauma life support. Prior to joining Surgical Associates of Kingsport as a general and bariatric surgeon, he worked in Hawaii, Indiana and Illinois.
Jeffrey Kappa, MD, FACS, Surgeon
Dr. Jeffrey Kappa received his medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine at Durham, N.C. He served as intern and resident at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pa. He also performed gastric bypass surgeries during his residency. Dr. Kappa is board certified by the American Board of Surgery for general and vascular surgery and is a fellow in the American College of Surgeons. He began his bariatric surgery practice in 2003 and has six years of experience at Holston Valley. Dr. Kappa currently practices as a general, vascular and bariatric surgeon through Surgical Associates of Kingsport.
Robin McMillan, RN, Nurse Practitioner
Robin McMillan received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Saint Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., and a master of science in nursing as a family nurse practitioner at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She also completed a master’s degree in healthcare risk management at Finch University of Health Sciences/Chicago Medical School in North Chicago, Ill. She is licensed in the state of Tennessee as a registered nurse and advanced practice nurse with certificate and is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a family nurse practitioner. McMillan has devoted her practice to care and education of bariatric surgery patients since 2004. She serves as the bariatric program coordinator at Holston Valley’s Comprehensive Weight Management Center, overseeing program development, patient education and clinical issues. McMillan is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the Tennessee Bariatric Society.
Laura Dyck, LDN, Registered Dietitian
Laura McGee received a bachelor’s degree in biology and later went on to complete her master of science in human nutrition from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. She completed her dietetic internship in various clinical, community and management settings in Rock Hill. McGee has been a registered dietitian, licensed in the state of Tennessee, and a member of the American Dietetic Association since 2001. She has worked as a clinical dietitian at Holston Valley since 2001 and transitioned to join the team at the Comprehensive Weight Management Center in 2008.