The Board of Directors of the ACS Board of Regents (BoR) and ACS Professional Association (ACSPA)* met October 3 at the Marriott Marquis Chicago in Illinois.
Key presentations centered on the College’s strategic plan, updates related to the Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care’s Continuous Quality Improvement Programs, ACS Cancer Programs, and the overarching ACS clinical data strategy.
The following is a summary of the discussion and was current as of the date of the meeting.
ACS Strategic Plan
Important performance indicators and dashboards related to the pillars of the strategic plan were outlined. Recent editions of the ACS Brief e-newsletter have featured more specifics on each pillar.
Education
The proposed program for Clinical Congress 2026 was presented for the Regents’ comments and reviews. The BoR approved the program at their Adjourned Meeting on October 7.
Member Services
The BoR accepted resignations from 28 Fellows, changed the status from Active or Senior to Retired for 135 Fellows, and approved the formation of the ACS Dominican Republic Chapter.
Research and Optimal Patient Care
In addition to the updates and recent progress on the long-term strategy previously presented to the BoR for ACS clinical data registries by ACS Chief Health Informatics Officer Genevieve Melton-Meaux, MD, PhD, FACS, deep-dive presentations offered details on initiatives within the Cancer Programs and the Continuous Quality Improvement Program areas within the Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care.
Cancer Programs
To complement the strategic analysis of the ACS Cancer Programs in 2024, Ronald J. Weigel, MD, PhD, MBA, FACS, Medical Director for ACS Cancer Programs, provided updates on strategic goals:
• Increasing the value of the National Cancer Database (NCDB)
• Using NCDB to demonstrate value of accreditation
◦ NCDB accrued more than 1.7 million records in 2023. Historic accrual of 53 million records dates to 1985.
◦ Registries abstracted more than 250 data points.
◦ In 2024 and the first half of 2025, more than 360 publications in PubMed were based on NCDB data.
◦ Articles show that ACS Accreditation improves quality of care and survival.
• Developing methods to increase real-time data capture
◦ Initiative with the National Cancer Institute for the US Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI+) Cancer Program
◦ Linkage to cost data to move from quality to value in care
• Published first NCDB Annual Report: J Am Coll Surg. 2025;240(1):95-110.
◦ Second annual report will focus on melanoma, prostate, and esophageal cancers.
◦ Third annual report will focus on lung, rectal, and thyroid cancers.
• Developing a Cancer Survival Calculator using staging and NCDB clinical data
• Expanding the number of accredited programs, exploring incentives for accreditation, and developing Commission on Cancer (CoC) hospital rankings
• Development of new Rural CoC Accreditation program to improve cancer care in rural settings
◦ Accreditation specifically designed for rural hospitals requiring fewer resources
◦ Based on Iowa and Kentucky pilots and feedback from CoC Rural Task Force
◦ Offers rural participants consultive services from trained CoC Site Reviewers
◦ Encourages collaboration between rural sites to help solve problems and advance care
◦ Improves offerings in NCDB to be more applicable to smaller-volume hospitals
◦ Pilot to launch in early 2026
• Status of International CoC and additional accreditation programs
◦ Efforts underway to increase number of Canadian Hospital sites in accreditation program
◦ Launched CoC Pediatric Specialty accreditation in 2024
◦ Exploring other cancer accreditation programs
• Developing partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) for CoC hospitals to receive quality designation from BCBS Blue Distinction Centers
• Developing ranking system for CoC hospitals
• Exploring public reporting
A future meeting will focus on the strategic goals of increasing the revenue, funding, and value of accreditation programs and streamlining the operations of the Cancer Programs.
Continuous Quality Improvement Programs
To complement the strategic analysis of the ACS Continuous Quality Improvement Programs in 2023, Clifford Y. Ko, MD, MS, MSHS, FACS, Senior Vice President of the Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care, provided updates on strategic goals.
• ACS Clinical Protocols
• Communications and marketing efforts related to the ACS Clinical Data Strategy
• Quality improvement mandates from specialty certifying boards
Additional Activity
In addition to these presentations, the Regents heard updates from the Finance Committee, the BoR Optimal Working Environment for Surgeons Task Force, and the Resident and Associate Society. They also reviewed several informational reports and approved the Best Practices Guidelines for the Management of Chest Wall Injuries.
Dr. Marion Curtiss Henry is the Immediate Past Chair of the ACS Board of Governors and professor of surgery at The University of Chicago Medicine, where she also serves as the medical director of the operating rooms and pediatric surgery quality officer at Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago, IL.
*The ACSPA, a 501(c)(6), allows for a broader range of activities and services that benefit surgeons and patients, including expanded legislative advocacy and political programming, such as the ACSPA-Political Action Committee (SurgeonsPAC).
