The Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS VQI) clinical registry recently announced it has achieved another milestone, with more than 1,000 centres enlisted in VQI registries. This achievement will strengthen vascular care, improve outcomes and underscore the value of real-world data in analysing outcomes and reducing resource utilisation, a press release reports.
The SVS VQI is a clinical registry dedicated to improving the care of vascular patients through a data-driven approach to healthcare. In late 2022, the organisation achieved a significant milestone by surpassing one million procedures collected in its database. Since its inception, the SVS VQI claims, clinical data gathered from participating centres has dramatically impacted patient care, leading to scientific discoveries that have changed the way in which care is delivered, improving outcomes and saving thousands of lives.
“Improving quality is a high priority for everyone in the medical community. This long list of SVS VQI participating centres reflects their commitment to quality. By collecting detailed clinical and procedural data that is usable and actionable, the SVS VQI is a critical tool that provides invaluable insight to providers and device manufacturers. We are all committed to improving patient care and the data provides a path,” said Jens Eldrup-Jorgensen, medical director, SVS Patient Safety Organization.
Since 2011, when the SVS VQI was formed, VQI registries have achieved growth in participation and engagement. In 2022 alone, 100 quality charters have gotten underway. Other major milestones include:
- More than 600 articles published in peer-reviewed journals using SVS VQI data
- Eighteen regional groups formed and meeting biannually to discuss outcomes and quality improvement projects
- More than 250 physician volunteers contributing to registry design and operations.
- More than 6,000 participating physicians from multiple disciplines engaged in using the SVS VQI
- More than 4,000 data managers, hospital managers and other professionals participating in the SVS VQI
- Numerous collaborations with other organisations, including the American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Venous Forum (AVF), American Heart Association (AHA), Society for Vascular Medicine (SVM), Vascular Access Society of the Americas (VASA), Society for Vascular Ultrasound (SVU) and many regional vascular societies, governmental regulatory agencies, device manufacturers and payers
- Fourteen VQI registries established, each collecting demographic, clinical, procedural and outcomes data from more than one million vascular procedures performed in the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico and Singapore
On average, more than 10,000 new procedures are added to the clinical registry each month. The wealth of data in the registry enables providers to track their performance and compare it against regional and national benchmarks.
The SVS VQI Vascular Implant Surveillance and Interventional Outcomes Network (VISION) is a partnership between the SVS VQI and Medical Device Epidemiology Network (MDEpiNet) that directly supports the mission of the SVS VQI to improve the quality, safety, effectiveness and cost of vascular health care by collecting and exchanging information. VISION links SVS VQI registry data to Medicare claims to generate novel registry-claims linked datasets. The datasets combine the clinical detail from the SVS VQI with long-term outcome variables derived from Medicare claims.
Another major initiative launched in 2022 is the SVS VQI Fellowship in Training (SVS FIT) program. Individuals completing their medical residencies or fellowships in any vascular disease-focused specialty (e.g., vascular surgery, cardiology, radiology, vascular medicine) may participate in the 12- to 18-month programme. It fosters an understanding of quality processes and metrics among vascular residents and fellows through mentorship in the VQI, in collaboration with the Association of Program Directors in Vascular Surgery (APDVS), American College of Cardiology and the Society for Vascular Medicine.
SVS VQI registries are powered by the Fivos Pathways platform, a secure, cloud-based solution for data collection and analysis. Using Pathways, SVS VQI participating providers can utilise real-time reporting to benchmark performance, while device manufacturers can develop custom projects that leverage registry data to accelerate device development, evaluation, or approval.
To learn more, visit https://www.vqi.org.
