Panelists Share How to Enhance Surgical Quality in Patient-Centered Care

A panel of experts addressed the current landscape of surgical quality and how to leverage ACS Quality Programs to improve care during a discussion at the ACS Leadership & Advocacy Summit 2024. Among the topics discussed were the current challenges hospitals have in keeping up with the numerous metrics in place to measure quality, the shortcomings of these measures, and how ACS Quality Programs can assist hospitals in implementing quality improvement programs to improve patient care.

On the panel, “Surgical Quality in Patient-Centered Care,” was Matthew P. Schiralli, MD, FACS, executive medical director of surgical services, Rochester Regional Health, who implemented the ACS Geriatric Surgery Verification (GSV) Program at his hospital. Dr. Schiralli said during the presentation that when he builds out a quality program at his institution, he rallies the entire hospital team around the quality improvement effort. He said the ACS helps figure out the best way to do something, and then he brings those concepts home to his hospital to implement them.

“By building out quality programs, the cost of care is lower and the quality of care is higher,” Dr. Schiralli said about Rochester’s participation in the GSV program. “We’re on the journey. We’re never quite done. It’s a continuous quality improvement program.”

The panel was moderated by Jill Sage, Chief, Quality Affairs, ACS Division of Advocacy and Health Policy. Also, the pnael included Aneesh Chopra, co-founder and president of CareJourney and author of Innovative State, and Missy Danforth, senior vice president of health care ratings, The Leapfrog Group.