We are a Surgical Quality Partner of the American College of Surgeons (ACS)
As an American College of Surgeons (ACS) Surgical Quality Partner, we’re committed to the highest standards of surgical care. This designation reflects our proven record of adhering to the most rigorous standards in surgical quality—to minimize complications, improve outcomes, and save lives.
Our participation in ACS Quality Programs helps ensure that we continue providing our patients with the best care possible. When you see the ACS Surgical Quality Partner mark in our hospital, you can trust that we’re dedicated to quality and relentless self-improvement.
ACS Quality Programs
Building on more than a century of experience improving surgical care, ACS Quality Programs are a definitive measure of quality you can look for as you seek care. We’re proud to partner with the ACS and participate in the following programs:
Quality Verification Program (QVP)
ACS QVP verification is the highest level of commitment a hospital can make to ensure that all patients receive optimal surgical care. It addresses all surgical specialties in the hospital and provides a proven strategy for achieving high quality surgical care and outcomes. QVP-verified hospitals undergo a rigorous evaluation process where providers across all departments and at every level demonstrate a coordinated effort to using data to achieve the best care and highest quality outcomes.
Children’s Surgery Verification (CSV)
The CSV program ensures that every verified hospital meets the needs of pediatric patients. This specialized care provides improved outcomes, improved safety protocols, and a standardized quality of care across the many crucial facets of children’s surgery. CSV hospitals have a nationwide reputation for improving the quality and outcomes in children undergoing surgery.
Proof Point
- Participation in the ACS Children’s Surgery Verification (CSV) Quality Improvement Program led to significant reductions in operating room wait times and improvement in other key metrics for children treated for traumatic femur fractures.
- Citation: White CR, Leshikar HB, White, MR, et al. Does the American College of Surgeons New Level I Children’s Surgery Center Verification Affect Treatment Efficiency and Narcotic Administration in Treating Pediatric Trauma Patients with Femur Fracture?. Journal of the American College of Surgeons 236(3):p 476-483, March 2023. | DOI: 10.1097/XCS.0000000000000496
Commission on Cancer Accreditation (CoC)
The CoC is dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for patients with cancer. The CoC promotes cancer prevention, treatment, survival, and education, and ensures high quality, comprehensive, coordinated cancer care. The CoC also integrates the latest advances in research and technology to help further improve the care cancer patients receive.
Emergency General Surgery Verification Program (EGS-VP)
EGS-VP helps hospitals and hospital systems provide around-the-clock care to immediately identify and manage common conditions requiring emergency surgery. Verified EGS-VP hospitals have dedicated services that put in practice the highest standards in emergency general surgery. No matter the time of day when an EGS patient arrives, they receive the same level of medical care from a reputable team for scheduled, pre-planned, or walk-in surgery.
Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV)
The GSV program improves surgical care and outcomes for older adults by promoting patient- and family-centered care, encouraging collaboration, and facilitating implementation of evidence-based practices. The program focuses on the overall health goals of older adults and ensures geriatric-friendly surgical rooms, which improves quality of life for older patients by prioritizing patient function and independence and reducing complications like the risk of delirium and confusion for older patients.
Proof Point
- The ACS Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) Program reduces the average length of stay in the hospital after an operation from 5 days to 4 days.
- Citation: Jones TS, Jones EL, Richardson V, et al. Preliminary data demonstrate the Geriatric Surgery Verification program reduces postoperative length of stay. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021 Jul;69(7):1993-1999. doi: 10.1111/jgs.17154. Epub 2021 Apr 7. PMID: 33826150.
Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP)
MBSAQIP is a comprehensive, nationwide surgical quality program aimed at ensuring the safe and effective performance of metabolic and bariatric surgery. Surgical outcomes focus on weight loss and the treatment of obesity-related diseases, like diabetes, sleep apnea, and others. Research shows accredited centers experience lower complications, and better outcomes than that of non-accredited facilities.
National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC)
The NAPBC improves all aspects of breast cancer and disease care, including screening, prevention, and early detection, as well as accurate diagnosis and correct treatments for breast cancer. By setting the highest standards, the NAPBC ensures that breast centers provide the most comprehensive breast care based on scientific evidence about what works best for every patient.
National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC)
The NAPRC requires rectal cancer programs to use a multidisciplinary, holistic approach to improving rectal cancer care. This program is based on international models that lead to better outcomes for patients, including a reduction in recurrence rates, better quality of life, improved function, and increased survival.
NSQIP Pediatric
NSQIP Pediatric is the first and only international database measuring performance outcomes across multiple specialties of children’s surgery. The program helps hospitals provide efficient and equitable care and shortens a patient’s time in the hospital. NSQIP Pediatric allows hospitals to track their performance with the most accurate data available, compare themselves with other leading hospitals, and achieve the highest quality of care for children undergoing surgical operations.
Proof Point
- Participating in a regional quality improvement initiative using ACS NSQIP Pediatric data helped hospitals reduce opioid prescriptions in pediatric patients undergoing appendectomy, the most common operation in hospitalized children, by almost 80% using a standardized prescribing protocol.
- Citation: Kelley-Quon LI, Ourshalimian S, Lee J, et al. Multi-Institutional Quality Improvement Project to Minimize Opioid Prescribing in Children after Appendectomy Using NSQIP-Pediatric. Journal of the American College of Surgeons 234(3):p 290-298, March 2022. | DOI: 10.1097/XCS.0000000000000056
National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP)
NSQIP is the first nationally validated, outcomes-based program to measure and improve the quality of surgical care. Participating hospitals collect data that provides in-depth analysis, helping surgical teams better understand and tailor care to patient needs. Hospitals participating in this program can reduce preventable surgical problems to achieve higher quality.
Proof Point
- On average, hospitals participating in the ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) prevent 250–500 health complications, save between 12–36 lives, and reduce costs by millions of dollars each year.
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Citation: Hall BL, Hamilton BH, Richards K, et al. Does surgical quality improve in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program: an evaluation of all participating hospitals. Ann Surg. 2009 Sep;250(3):363-76. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0b013e3181b4148f. PMID: 19644350.
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Trauma Verification, Review, and Consultation (VRC)
The ACS Trauma VRC program sets the standard for the care of injured patients in trauma centers. These standards ensure each center has the right expertise and is immediately prepared to provide the highest quality of emergency trauma care. These standards are so rigorous that many states use them to designate trauma centers in their region. Of note, patients cared for in ACS-verified trauma centers have a lower risk of death and improved quality of life compared with patients in non-verified centers.
Proof Point
- Adult patients cared for in an ACS-verified trauma center have a shorter length of stay and a lower risk of death. These trauma centers saw these improvements when comparing outcomes before and after they became verified by the ACS.
- Citation: Piontek FA, Coscia R, Marselle CS, Korn RL, Zarling EJ; American College of Surgeons. Impact of American College of Surgeons verification on trauma outcomes. J Trauma. 2003 Jun;54(6):1041-6; discussion 1046-7. doi: 10.1097/01.TA.0000061107.55798.31. PMID: 12813321
Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP)
TQIP ensures that a hospital has acquired the strongest surgical data to analyze and improve patient outcomes. TQIP complements the Trauma VRC program by providing centers with the information they need to make changes to care so they continually improve the outcomes of their patients. Together, these programs help patients cared for in an ACS-verified trauma center receive the best care possible, which is critical because trauma patients often have little choice in where they receive care. TQIP includes interactive data tools that provide multiple opportunities for centers to learn best practices in trauma from other centers and subject matter experts.
Vascular Verification Program (Vascular-VP)
Vascular-VP is a program developed with the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) that sets standards for improving the quality of vascular care. Vascular surgery is for blood vessel problems. Common procedures include opening blocked blood vessels in various areas in the body, conducting operations to prevent stroke, and repairing aortic aneurysms.