Released: Thursday, August 29, 2024 11:23 AM

BGMC/GVI Recognized by the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative as a Carotid Care Quality Champion

Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute (BGMC/GVI) has been identified as a Carotid Care Quality Champion by the Society for Vascular Surgery® Vascular Quality Initiative® (SVS VQI) clinical registry recognition program. The program honors healthcare organizations across the country dedicated to improving the safety and effectiveness of vascular care through participation and engagement in VQI's carotid artery stenting and carotid endarterectomy registries.

Facilities across the United States rely on SVS VQI to support their commitment to quality care for their vascular patients and help them adhere to the latest professional guidelines. In October 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its final decision on NCD 20.7, which pertains to coverage for carotid artery stenting. Although participation in a registry was not mandated for coverage, CMS does require centers to establish and maintain institutional and physician standards to support a carotid stent program-and registry participation remains the most appropriate approach to compliance. The SVS VQI is the premier registry that allows centers to develop and maintain a full carotid treatment quality assurance program.

Since its inception, the SVS VQI has been the basis for hundreds of quality assurance and quality improvement programs at hospitals throughout the US and Canada. Clinical data gathered from participating centers has led to scientific discoveries that have changed clinical practice and dramatically improved patient care. Participating SVS VQI centers include academic medical centers, teaching hospitals, community hospitals, vein centers, office-based labs, and individual physician practices.

"Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute is proud to be recognized by SVS VQI as a Carotid Care Quality Champion, a distinction that reflects our amazing healthcare team's commitment to tracking patient outcomes and improving the quality of care at our institution," says Beth Hughes, president of BGMC/GVI and Long Term Care. "Our participation in the VQI allows us to monitor performance, benchmark outcomes, and provide the best possible care for our patients."

VQI participation offers centers the ability to:

• track provider and center performance and compare to national benchmarks
• identify areas for quality improvement and address length of stay
• participate in a robust quality improvement program, with access to quality improvement toolkits, quality charters, webinars, and one-on-one mentoring for members
• network with other participating centers to review outcomes data, foster collaboration, and spark further clinical innovation

"Improving outcomes is a top priority for SVS VQI and our quality champions," says Jens Eldrup-Jorgensen, MD, medical director, SVS Patient Safety Organization. "This recognition is only awarded to facilities that are demonstrating their commitment to quality through use of our carotid registries and leveraging real-world data to inform needed adjustments in care delivery. By working together, we are able to strive for the best possible outcomes and advance vascular care."

SVS VQI registries are powered by the Fivos PATHWAYS® platform, a secure, cloud-based solution for data collection and analysis. Using PATHWAYS, SVS VQI participating providers can utilize real-time reporting to benchmark performance, while device manufacturers can develop custom projects that leverage registry data to accelerate device development, evaluation, or approval.

To learn more, visit https://www.vqi.org.

About Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute

Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute (BGMC/GVI) is a premier healthcare facility in Western New York and a cornerstone of the Kaleida Health system. Located in the heart of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, BGMC/GVI provides a wide spectrum of services and specialized surgical services including cardiac, general surgery, bariatrics, orthopedics, urology, vascular services, gastroenterology, rehabilitation medicine and neurology. BGMC/GVI combines the finest researchers, surgeons, physicians, and other clinicians devoted to the study, treatment and prevention of cardiac, stroke and vascular diseases.

In partnership with the University at Buffalo's Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, BGMC/GVI is committed to advancing medical education and research. This collaboration fosters a multidisciplinary approach to patient care, ensuring that the latest scientific discoveries are quickly translated into life-saving treatments. BGMC/GVI is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves, with a focus on providing exceptional patient care, advancing medical knowledge and promoting wellness across Western New York and beyond.

ABOUT SVS VQI

The Society for Vascular Surgery® Vascular Quality Initiative® (SVS VQI) is governed by the SVS Patient Safety Organization (SVS PSO), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Society for Vascular Surgery, which provides oversight of data sharing arrangements, key outcome and quality measure analyses, and dissemination of information to participating providers. SVS VQI comprises vascular surgeons, cardiac surgeons, general surgeons, cardiologists, radiologists and other specialists who perform vascular procedures collected in the VQI Registries, as well as Quality Improvement professionals, data managers and others dedicated to improving patient outcomes. Over 1,000 participating centers are divided into 18 regional quality groups who meet biannually to discuss initiatives for improving the quality of vascular care. SVS VQI is powered by the Fivos cloud-based registry platform. To learn more about SVS VQI, please visit www.vqi.org [vqi.org].

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