More than 200 physicians, administrators, public officials and health care leaders attended the American College of Surgeons New York Surgical Quality Forum, titled "Improving Surgical Quality-A Data-Driven Approach," on Nov. 16 in Weill Cornell Medical College's Uris Auditorium.
The three-hour forum was the 10th in a series of national forums hosted by the American College of Surgeons as part of its "Inspiring Quality Community Tour," attracting attendees from more than 40 hospitals, medical schools and other health care organizations across the state — a record attendance since the tour began last year.
Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi, right, with Dr. Steven J. Corwin, CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
The forum featured presentations from several health care leaders on the significant impact quality improvement has on optimizing positive patient outcomes while reducing costs.
Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College, addressed the critical importance of training future surgeons and physicians in quality improvement. Dr. Steven J. Corwin, the chief executive officer of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, focused on how health care reform will continue to impact hospitals and the challenges the New York state faces with the new health insurance exchanges. And Dr. Foster Gesten, medical director of the state Department of Health, spoke about the inherent value of public reporting, and shared his vision of an ideal synergy in building a system that satisfies both government and payers, but also allows clinicians to measure their performance and see how they can improve.
Other presenters included Dr. David Hoyt, executive director of the American College of Surgeons; Dr. Clifford Yo, director of the College's Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care; and Dr. Alfons Pomp, vice chairman of the Department of Surgery at Weill Cornell and chief of laparoscopic and bariatric surgery.
Surgical leaders from hospitals across New York state also presented their own hospitals' experience with successful quality improvement initiatives. They used the American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement Program as an example of a leading and successful model on how to give surgeons reliable data to help pinpoint areas for improvement. This program--unlike other quality programs--is highlighted because it uses risk and procedure mix-adjusted data extracted from the patient's medical chart, not insurance claims, and is based on 30-day surgical patient outcomes.
"The New York medical community has pioneered public reporting and the use of meaningful data to improve outcomes," said event host Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi, chairman of the Department of Surgery and the Lewis Atterbury Stimson Professor at Weill Cornell and surgeon-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. "We, perhaps better than anyone, know the benefits and challenges of public reporting, and this forum is an important vehicle to continue those discussions and demonstrate how outcomes-based programs like ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program are driving effective quality improvement here in New York and across the country."