Post Falls Surgeon and Northwest Specialty Hospital receive Center of Excellence Designation Northwest Specialty Hospital and Dr. John Pennings simultaneously received the coveted “Center of Excellence Designation” for Bariatric Surgery. Dr. Pennings and Northwest Specialty Hospital are now one of only two hospitals in the Inland Northwest honored with the Center of Excellence Designation. According to Dr. John Pennings, Program Director at Surgical Bariatrics Northwest, “The designation is awarded based upon surgical outcomes which meet or beat national par performance as measured in terms of successful patient outcomes. At Northwest Specialty Hospital we are committed to our patients and the details of their care which ensures the best outcomes possible”. With this designation, Surgical Bariatrics Northwest now proudly accepts Medicare patients.