Can We Improve the Quality of Quality Improvement?

The modern approach to surgical quality improvement began in the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health system with the creation of the Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VASQIP). Each quarter, VA hospitals receive a report showing their risk-adjusted surgical outcomes in the form of an observed to expected ratio that indicates which centers have excess morbidity and mortality relative to what should be expected based on their patients and case mix. The VA hospitals experiencing excess perioperative morbidity and mortality during each quarter are then expected to take steps to improve outcomes for the veterans whom they treat.
Source: JAMA Surgery - Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research