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July 11, 2008
Marquette General Health System Enrolls in National Quality Improvement Program for Surgery
Marquette General Health System recently joined the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program that was developed to help hospitals measure and improve the quality of surgical cases and compare its postoperative data with other hospitals, as well as national averages.
ACS NSQIP uses scientific methodology designed to help participating hospitals, like Marquette General, compare the actual, or observed, results with the expected results 30 days after the surgery. Surgical clinical nurse reviewers at MGHS collect and validate data on a host of variables related to the patient’s condition before, during and after surgery.
The measurement method adjusts for the complexity or severity of a patient’s illness or condition so that hospitals have the data they need to make valid comparisons and find better ways to care for surgical patients.
“Participation in NSQIP will allow Marquette General to compare its surgical outcomes to similar hospitals throughout the United States,” said NSQIP Physician Champion Dr. Joseph Jameson of Surgical Associates of Marquette, P.C, who is on staff at Marquette General Hospital. “NSQIP will also allow us to continually improve the quality of care for our surgical patients by providing us with the information needed to guide MGHS in future surgical quality improvement projects.”
There are currently 200 hospitals participating nationwide in ACS NSQIP. MGH is also one of 40 hospitals in Michigan that participates in the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative, which works in conjunction/collaboration with the NSQIP.
The Institute of Medicine named the ACS NSQIP "the best in the nation" for measuring and reporting surgical quality and outcomes. The Institute of Medicine is an independent organization that advises the federal government on ways to improve our nation’s health care.
The program, first developed in 1991 by Veterans Affairs hospitals, allowed VA hospitals to see, on a 30-day postoperative basis, 47 percent fewer deaths and 43 percent fewer adverse health events among its patients. A federal grant and collaboration with the ACS and the VA, enabled testing to prove the program’s methodology works in the private sector.
About American College of Surgeons
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 71,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. For more information, visit www.facs.org.
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