ACC Quality Improvement for Institutions: Taking NCDR and Quality Improvement to a New Level

The trend toward hospital integration has required medical specialty societies, including the American College of Cardiology (ACC), to reach out to hospitals and tailor their offerings to meet the very different needs of the increasing number of members in an integrated environment.

To this end, the ACC launched its new Quality Improvement for Institutions program earlier this year that combines its NCDR clinical data registries and hospital-based quality initiatives like Hospital to Home (H2H), the Door-to-Balloon (D2B) Alliance and Surviving MI, under one umbrella. As part of the program, each member of a participating hospital's cardiac care team has on-demand access to proven quality improvement initiatives and tools that address public reporting, reimbursements, regulations and more.

According to Richard Kovacs, MD, FACC, chair of the ACC's Best Practices in Quality Improvement Subcommittee, the shifting health care landscape, is making quality programs and tools aimed at helping care providers demonstrate the value of their practices to the hospital system, more effectively adhere to guidelines and best practices at the point of care, and close identified gaps in care delivery increasingly critical.

"The aim of Quality Improvement for Institutions is to provide health care institutions with a comprehensive suite of cardiovascular registries and service solutions that support quality clinical care, deliver improved patient outcomes, and offer national recognition for participating in ACC quality initiatives," he said.

Early feedback on the program has been positive, with more than 200 cardiovascular professionals from NCDR participating hospitals having already activated their Quality Improvement for Institutions accounts. Hospitals are also taking advantage of the specialized Hospital Recognition Kit, which includes a printed certificate of recognition, sample patient newsletter article, press release, social media messages, and other materials, that can be customized to promote participation in this groundbreaking new program.

"Over the coming year, we hope to see these numbers continue to grow as we roll out new programs and tools designed specifically for the hospital-based audience," Kovacs said.

Learn more about the Quality Improvement for Institutions program at CVQuality.acc.org.

The Benefits of Participation:

ACC Quality Improvement for Institutions offers participants unlimited, on-demand access to:

• The ACC's NCDR, offering clinical data capture and national benchmark reporting on catheter-based interventions, ICD implantations, acute coronary syndrome, congenital heart disease and peripheral vascular disease.
• Proven ACC hospital-focused quality initiatives (ie. H2H, the D2B Alliance and Surviving MI).
• Online assessments to help identify gaps in care, programs and tools to implement needed changes, and the ability to monitor progress using NCDR data.
• A multimedia Hospital Recognition Kit to help institutions promote their dedication to advancing quality care.