The 2019 ACS Quality and Safety Conference was held in Washington, DC. this year at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The large venue was a great space for the many different surgical service lines to come together for five days. The conference was divided into tracks based on the multiple ACS Quality Programs and General Sessions were offered. The Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) track had many informative sessions.
MBSAQIP Track Highlights:
- Standards Manual – Discussion of the new standards manual effective October 2019. All of the manuals across the ACS Quality Programs have been given the same look. There will be a new designation for Comprehensive Centers with Obesity Medicine Qualifications. The additional data abstraction requirements for centers seeking Obesity Medicine accreditation can be rolled into their current MBSCR.
- Patient Reported Outcomes (PRO) – Patient reported outcomes have been piloted at several NSQIP hospitals across the country.ACS is considering using PRO in the near future in the MBSAQIP to capture follow-up on our patients. This system would allow patients to submit outcomes feedback electronically and include weights.
- Semiannual Report (SAR) – The new interactive site summary report allows the program to drill down their SAR data for quality improvement opportunities.
- Long-Term Follow-Up (LTFU) – MBSCRs from sites with high LTFU rates shared their processes that have proven successful which included Emailing patients with a follow-up scripted message and having a dedicated staff member for follow-up calls to patients.
The meeting was an excellent opportunity to meet fellow MBSAQIP attendees and those in other quality programs. The 105-degree heat index did not stop everyone from enjoying the conference and all the amazing events offered.