Americas Hernia Society Quality Collaborative Launches Inguinal Hernia Module
Denver, CO (PRWEB) February 10, 2017 -- The Americas Hernia Society Quality Collaborative (AHSQC) today announced full launch of their Inguinal Hernia module. With over 700,000 patients treated in the US each year, inguinal hernia repairs are one of the operations most frequently performed by general surgeons.
“As part of our mission and continued efforts to improve quality and value for hernia patients, in 2016 the AHSQC embarked on development of an inguinal module,” noted Michael Rosen, MD, AHSQC Medical Director. “Through the dedicated efforts of our Inguinal Hernia Task Force, I’m honored to share that Inguinal Module has formally launched to all members of the AHS Quality Collaborative.”
The Inguinal Task Force, comprised of hernia surgeons from across the country, worked diligently to design the new module which focuses on the most essential measures – surgical results, pain and function. It has been reported that up to 20% of patients experience chronic post-operative pain following inguinal repair. The AHSQC aims to identify areas for improvement which may dramatically impact this challenging outcome.
“We designed the inguinal module with our patients and colleagues in mind,” shared David Chen, MD of Los Angeles, CA. “Using a critical, targeted approach, important information is captured with minimal data entry time required.” Along with Dr. Chen, the Inguinal Task Force included Jeffrey Blatnik, MD of St Louis, MO and Richard Pierce, MD of Nashville, TN.
“Although inguinal hernia repair is a common procedure, there are still many unanswered questions that rigorous assessment of real world data may address. Incorporating the AHSQC into clinical practice has the potential to help improve efficiency and enhance care by analyzing some of these unknowns,” stated Ben Poulose, MD, AHSQC Director for Quality & Outcomes.
Since inception in 2013, the AHSQC has grown to include information for quality improvement collected on over 14,000 patients by over 200 surgeons across the US. The AHSQC now collects data on patients undergoing surgery for ventral hernia (including umbilical, epigastric, Spigelian, lumbar, incisional, and parastomal hernia, inguinal hernia, femoral hernia, chronic groin pain, inguinal disruption/core muscle injury, athletic pubalgia and sports hernia.
The AHS Quality Collaborative is free to all members of the Americas Hernia Society and includes stakeholders from across the continuum of care, including surgeons, hospitals, industry and the FDA. AHSQC programs are supported through generous grants from Foundation Partners Intuitive Surgical, Bard/Davol, LifeCell, Medtronic and W.L. Gore.
For more information about the AHSQC, visit http://www.ahsqc.org or contact [email protected].
About the AHSQC: Through data collection, analysis and collaborative learning, the AHSQC provides best practices, decision support, care pathways and ongoing performance feedback to participants and partners. The AHSQC is a CMS Qualified Clinical Data Registry and is an authoritative resource for organizations to assess quality metrics and demonstrate a commitment to efficient, value-based patient centered hernia care. Participation in the AHSQC fulfills Part 4 of the American Board of Surgery Maintenance of Certification Program.
Shelby Dunstan, AHSQC, http://www.ahsqc.org, +1 (866) 798-5406, [email protected]
Share this article