The ACS recently launched a new Strategic Plan, designed to advance organizational priorities and provide value to surgeons, the profession, and the patients they serve. The plan has four pillars and one foundational concept. This week, the ACS Brief highlights the third pillar.
Pillar 3: Innovate and Accelerate
The third pillar of the ACS Strategic Plan is focused on bringing business acumen to bear in all ACS programs, products, and services.
This pillar emphasizes three objectives: investing in technology and research, strengthening ACS program impact and financial resilience, and enhancing strategic agility. These interlocking goals leverage technological advancement, interorganizational collaboration, and research-derived insight to ensure the ACS maximizes impact on surgeons and the public.
Investing in technology and research will keep the ACS at the forefront of the surgical profession. The multiple efforts on this objective include updates to Quality Programs’ infrastructure to support business needs, creating and advancing simulation-based educational opportunities, shifting products to incorporate machine learning methodologies, expanding the Clinical Scholars in Residence program, and utilizing ACS registry data for research purposes.
This pillar also includes a digital transformation of the ACS that will help enhance member experience via accessible personalized content, the upcoming launch of a new, members-only app to ensure all ACS members can more easily access membership benefits, and updates to facs.org to offer easier navigation a better overall user experience.
This pillar includes updates to Stop the Bleed, the ACS program that trains individuals in responding to bleeding emergencies before emergency medical personnel arrive and has already prepared 5 million individuals. Additional brand exposure will further amplify its public health impact. To that end, the Stop the Bleed website has been updated, and a multichannel awareness campaign will be launched.
This pillar ensures that the business fundamentals of the ACS remain strong. This will ensure stability and maximize impact of all ACS programs for members, surgical patients, and the public.
Previous articles on pillars 1 and 2 are linked below. In the coming weeks, this series will address the remaining pillar and foundation of the plan.
Read more:
Introducing the New ACS Strategic Plan – Executive Director’s Update (July/August 2025 Bulletin)
Pillar 1: Advance Patient-Centered Care and Surgical Quality (August 5 ACS Brief)
Pillar 2: Revolutionize and Educate (August 19 ACS Brief)
