Evaluation of hospitals participating in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program

• Published in: Surgery 2016-11, Vol.160 (5), p.1182-1188
• Main Authors: Sheils, Catherine R., BA, Dahlke, Allison R., MPH, Kreutzer, Lindsey, MPH, Bilimoria, Karl Y., MD, MS, Yang, Anthony D., MD
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Female; Hospitals - standards; Humans; Male; Outcome Assessment (Health Care); Program Evaluation; Quality Improvement; Quality Indicators, Health Care - standards; Safety-net Providers - standards; Societies, Medical - organization & administration; Surgery; Surgical Procedures, Operative - standards; United States
• ISSN: 0039-6060; 1532-7361
• DOI: 10.1016/j.surg.2016.04.034

Background The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program is well recognized in surgical quality measurement and is used widely in research. Recent calls to make it a platform for national public reporting and pay-for-performance initiatives highlight the importance of understanding which types of hospitals elect to participate in the program. Our objective was to compare characteristics of hospitals participating in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program to characteristics of nonparticipating US hospitals. Methods The 2013 American Hospital Association and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Healthcare Cost Report Information System datasets were used to compare characteristics and operating margins of hospitals participating in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program to those of nonparticipating hospitals. Results Of 3,872 general medical and surgical hospitals performing inpatient surgery in the United States, 475 (12.3%) participated in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Participating hospitals performed 29.0% of all operations in the United States. Compared with nonparticipating hospitals, American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program hospitals had a higher mean annual inpatient surgical case volume (6,426 vs 1,874; P