The American College of Surgeons (ACS), in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Medicine Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, has launched the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Safety Program for Improving Surgical Care and Recovery (ISCR). This new surgical quality improvement program is funded and guided by AHRQ.
The AHRQ Safety Program for ISCR will support hospitals in implementing perioperative evidence-based pathways to meaningfully improve clinical outcomes, reduce hospital length-of-stay and improve the patient experience.
This program aims to enroll at least 750 hospitals throughout the five-year contract. Hospitals within the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia are eligible to participate across five service lines:
- Colorectal
- Orthopaedic
- Gynecology
- Emergency General Surgery
- Bariatric
Participating hospitals will have access to U.S. leaders in enhanced recovery, including representatives of surgery, anesthesiology and nursing; prototype enhanced recovery pathways developed for five procedures based on up-to-date evidence review; literature to support pathways; tools and educational materials to facilitate implementation; quality improvement support from a nurse consultant; and coaching calls to support hospital work. (Jessica Symank)
