Dr. Christian Birkedal and Staff continue on a great path

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - April 5, 2017 - PRLog -- Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center has been designated as a Comprehensive Center for the treatment of severe obesity by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program. The MBSAQIP is a joint accreditation program of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Accreditation by the MBSAQIP means that Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center has met the highest standards for patient safety and quality care for the surgical treatment of severe obesity and related conditions.

Accreditation and recognition by MBSAQIP is an important credential for Florida Hospital. It means that the hospital and its surgical staff have met the exacting criteria for staffing, training and infrastructure to ensure the ability to support patients with severe obesity. Only those surgical centers that have passed a rigorous review process are designated as a Comprehensive Center for the treatment of severe obesity. To assure the highest standards, all accredited centers report to a database maintained by the MBSAQIP.

This recognition is a notable distinction for Florida Hospital. Daytona, New Smyrna, Volusia and Flagler County communities are all fortunate to have this health-care resource. Congratulations to the Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center for this achievement!

The medical director for bariatric services at FHMMC is Dr. Christian Birkedal (http://cbirkedal.com/), M.D.  Dr. Birkedal is board certified in general surgery by the American College of Surgeons and has surgical privileges at both the Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach, Florida Hospital facilities.

Dr. Birkedal, grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and completed his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at Florida State University. After earning his medical degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine, he completed a surgical residency at the Baptist Health System in Birmingham.  While in medical school, he received the Tinsley-Harrison Scholarship for academic performance and the Gross Anatomy Instructor honor for academic performance, leadership and teaching ability.

Before coming to Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center, Dr. Birkedal was the medical director of the Wound Treatment Center and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Capital Regional Medical Center in Tallahassee. He is Board Certified in General Surgery, a member of the Florida Medical Association, the American College of Surgeons and the Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine Society.

Dr. Birkedal has written textbook chapters for the Emedicine Textbook of Surgery and has presented internationally on several topics, including "Biopsy Fragment Supernates: A New Modality for the Rapid Diagnosis of Lung Cancer."

At Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center, he has received the "top physician" award given quarterly by FHMMC. This honor is given based on recommendations from patients, their families, staff voting and a high score on the "HCAHPS" evaluation. "HCAHPS" stands for the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems. It is a standard used to measure the quality of patient care provided by both physicians and hospitals.

Dr. Birkedal is a strong advocate for the use of laparoscopic surgical techniques whenever possible, including complex weight-loss procedures, as well as surgery of the gallbladder, thyroid gland and at other sites. In the hands of a skilled surgeon, the laparoscope can spare the patient an open incision, reduce the risk of infection, pain and scarring, and shorten hospital stays.

Dr. Birkedal now has three state-of-the-art medical offices. His main office is located in the Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center at 305 Memorial Medical Parkway (Suite 205) in Daytona Beach. Satellite offices are located at:

Florida Hospital New Smyrna Health Park
125 Florida Memorial Parkway, Suite 2300
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32186

Florida Hospital Flagler
61 Memorial Medical Pkwy, Suite 3805
Palm Coast, FL 32164

To make an appointment, please call (386) 231-3530 during office hours: Monday thru Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM. For further information on this article and Dr. Christian Birkedal please contact Axiom Administrative Services at 800-888-6348.