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UPMC Division of Vascular Surgery Earns Three Stars in Vascular Quality Initiative Registry Participation Award Program

June 19, 2024

The Society for Vascular Surgery’s Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS VQI) has awarded three stars, the highest possible rating, to the UPMC Division of Vascular Surgery for its active participation in the Registry Participation Program.

The mission of the SVS VQI is to improve patient safety and the quality of vascular care delivery by providing web-based collection, aggregation, and analysis of clinical data submitted in registry format for all patients undergoing specific vascular treatments. The VQI operates 14 vascular registries.

“The VQI allows multidisciplinary evaluation of outcomes and provides an opportunity to identify practice gaps and streamline patient care,” explains Michael Madigan, MD, UPMC Division of Vascular Surgery and Great Lakes Regional Medical Director.

Participating centers can earn up to three stars based on actions that lead to better patient care, including:

  • The completeness of long-term, follow-up reporting, based on the percentage of patients for whom they have at least nine months of follow-up data.
  • Physician attendance at semi-annual meetings of a regional quality group.
  • Initiation of quality improvement activities based on VQI data.
  • The number of vascular registries in which the center participates.

VQI’s registries contain demographic, clinical, procedural, and outcomes data from more than 1,000,000 vascular procedures performed in the United States, Canada, and Singapore. Each record includes information from the patient’s initial hospitalization and at one-year follow-up.

The wealth of data allows centers and providers to compare their performance to regional and national benchmarks. They also receive biannual dashboards and regular performance reports, which can then be used to support quality improvement initiatives.

Biannual regional meetings allow physicians of different specialties, nurses, data managers, quality officers, and others to meet, share information and ideas, and learn from each other in a positive and supportive environment. Members have used VQI data to significantly improve the delivery of vascular care at local, regional, and national levels, reducing complications and expenses.

To learn more about the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute, or to refer a patient, email HVIReferral@upmc.edu.