ACS introduced ACS NSQIP®, the leading surgical quality improvement program, into the private sector and not-for-profit hospitals. "Operation Giving Back" was established to help organize and expand volunteer efforts and opportunities for surgeons. ACS elected its first woman President.
2001
ACS Introduces ACS NSQIP into Private Sector and Not-for-Profit Hospitals
2001
ACS Introduces ACS NSQIP into Private Sector and Not-for-Profit Hospitals
With grant support from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the College introduced its National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) into 14 private sector and not-for-profit hospitals as part of an extended trial.181 After a three-year study showed that the program was effective at reducing morbidity and mortality rates in surgical patients, ACS NSQIP became available to all private hospitals. Developed out of a similar program at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), ACS NSQIP has become the leading nationally validated, risk-adjusted, outcomes-based program to measure and improve the quality of surgical care in the private sector. ACS NSQIP has given surgeons evidence-based tools, such as best practice guidelines, regular conference calls, and case studies, to help them implement effective quality improvement efforts. Named "Best in the Nation" for surgical quality by the Institute of Medicine, ACS NSQIP has developed measures endorsed by the National Quality Forum (NQF), and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is expected to adopt key ACS NSQIP outcomes measures as soon as 2015. A study in the Annals of Surgery concluded that the program helped each hospital prevent 250-500 complications and saved 12-36 lives per year.182
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2004
ACS Establishes “Operation Giving Back” for Medically Underserved
2004
ACS Establishes “Operation Giving Back” for Medically Underserved
The American College of Surgeons established the volunteerism initiative, Operation Giving Back (OGB), to "leverage the passion, skills, and humanitarian ethos of the surgical community to effectively meet the needs of the medically underserved."183 Although it recognized that thousands of surgeons already were "giving back" to their local or global community, ACS said more useful resources were needed to help connect surgeons with appropriate volunteer efforts.184 Based on a comprehensive survey of its membership, ACS found that many surgeons wanted to volunteer but were constrained by lack of information, logistics, or regulatory considerations. By providing resources and recognition to the large numbers of surgeons already engaged in such outreach, OGB has contributed to the nourishment of this vibrant community of surgical volunteers, offered inspiration and resources to potential volunteers, and strengthened a culture of humanitarianism that is at the root of the healing professions.185
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2005
ACS Elected its First Woman President
2005
ACS Elected its First Woman President
Kathryn D. Anderson, MD, FACS, FRCS, became the first woman elected president of the American College of Surgeons. Before she retired in 2004,186 Dr. Anderson was vice president and chief of surgery at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and vice chair of the department of surgery and professor of surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.187 Her priority as ACS President was to help its new Operation Giving Back program to grow, especially in light of natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina (2005) and the Sri Lanka tsunami (2004).188 An internationally renowned pediatric surgeon based in San Marino, CA, Dr. Anderson also wrote Who Will Hold My Hand? A Guide for Parents Whose Child Needs an Operation, which the College published in 2009.189
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2007
ACS Verified First Overseas Trauma Center
2007
ACS Verified First Overseas Trauma Center
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, in Germany, was verified as an ACS Committee on Trauma (COT) Level II trauma center, making it the only medical center outside the U.S. to achieve ACS COT verification. Landstuhl is a permanent U.S. military installation and is the largest American military hospital outside the U.S. Although established to provide care for American military personnel and their families in Europe, since 2003 Landstuhl has served as the primary evacuation site for all combat casualties who are wounded or experiencing non-battle injuries or illnesses in Afghanistan and Iraq.190 In June 2011, Landstuhl was subsequently verified as a Level I trauma center by the COT.191
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