As with any ACS special program, the NSQIP seeks to improve health care for patients by determining the industry's current needs and demands. In the case of the NSQIP, the main goal is to improve surgical procedures in order to prevent complications, save lives, and cut costs. Each year, health insurance providers deny coverage for a myriad of preventable complications in surgery; the NSQIP aims to help hospitals work toward the goals needed to improve surgical quality.
There are several options available to hospitals depending on the institution's size, type, and focus for improvement. When a hospital decides on an appropriate program option and prepares to collect data, it must hire a surgical clinical reviewer for data collection and appoint a surgeon champion for leading the quality improvements. Information on the NSQIP, as well as other programs, can be found at www.facs.org.