Americas Hernia Society Quality Collaborative Foundation Celebrates Five Years
DENVER, Colo. (PRWEB) July 19, 2018 -- Five years ago, a diverse group of hernia surgeons put their heads together and mapped out a plan to improve patient care and optimize cost in a real world setting.
“Hernias come in all shapes, sizes and various locations and our patients each have individual needs,” describes Ajita Prabhu, MD, a founding AHSQC Board member. “Surgeons are always striving to provide the right operation for the right patient at the right time. We realized we needed to capture and critically review information from everyday experiences of all surgeons and share collective feedback to ultimately enhance hernia treatment.” From this need, the Americas Hernia Society Quality Collaborative (AHSQC) was formed.
Since inception in 2013, the AHSQC registry has grown to include information collected for quality improvement on over 34,000 cases by over 311 surgeons in academic based and private practice settings across the US. Through collaborative engagement and using the wealth of data collected to date, the AHSQC has developed and launched ORACLE, an interactive hernia patient specific risk assessment tool, available publicly, free of charge on the AHSQC’s website (http://www.ahsqc.org). Additionally, AHSQC data has supported 23 peer-reviewed publications in high impact journals.
“Brainstorming around a table five years ago, I could only imagine what the idea of a hernia collaborative could look like,” recalled Michael Rosen, MD, AHSQC Medical Director. “The openness and willingness of our colleagues to join us and share outcomes is tremendous. It is really very humbling to reflect on how far we as an organization have come in a short amount of time.”
To mark the five year milestone, the AHSQC is pleased to invite all AHSQC members to the inaugural AHSQC Foundation Quality Improvement Summit, September 21-22, 2018 in Chicago, IL. Unlike traditional conferences, the Quality Improvement Summit is designed as a collaborative learning experience drawing upon in depth analysis of the wealth of data collected within the AHSQC registry. Surgeons will be learning from high performers within the AHSQC, identified with risk adjustment on various critical measures. Sessions include practical tips for optimizing surgical techniques and improving patient outcomes and long-term well-being. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in the design of future clinical trials embedded within the AHSQC registry, development of a standardized pathway to minimize opioid use in inguinal hernia repairs as well as engage in individualized coaching sessions.
“With highly interactive sessions related to critical perioperative, intraoperative and post-operative quality improvement opportunities, our participants will return to their practices with actionable, data driven insights to enhance their hernia outcomes” shared Ben Poulose, MD, MPH, AHSQC Director for Quality and Outcomes.
The AHS Quality Collaborative includes stakeholders from across the continuum of care, including surgeons, hospitals, industry and the FDA. AHSQC programs are supported through Foundation Partners Allergan, BD-Bard, Intuitive Surgical, Medtronic, Cook Medical, and W.L. Gore.
“Looking back, the AHSQC Foundation has a tremendous amount to be thankful for - most importantly the commitment of the patients, surgeons, and partners who share our mission,” reflects Dr. Rosen. “These first five years were just the beginning. With the continued support of our stakeholders, we will undoubtedly further improve our understanding of the paradigm of hernia patient care.”
For more information about the AHSQC Foundation and the Quality Improvement Summit, 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 is free to surgeons and 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]
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