During the upcoming year, I plan to provide a monthly summary of critical issues the SVS is facing to keep you better informed. There are more than 100 projects SVS committees, councils and task forces are working on, so I will focus on three or four issues each month.
I want to thank the many SVS members who devoted their time and efforts on behalf of our society and thank the SVS staff for their invaluable assistance.
SVS dues and finances
There have been several recent inquiries from members relating to senior dues and SVS finances. Tom Forbes, MD, the SVS treasurer, at the request of the Executive Board, prepared a comprehensive response, which was posted on SVSConnect on July 2.
Board status
SVS Past President Joseph Mills, MD initiated a Task Force two years ago to examine the pros and cons of a free-standing (“independent”) Vascular Surgery Board (VSB) vs. maintaining the current federated VSB (part of the American Board of Surgery). Past President Mike Dalsing, MD, served as chair of the task force, which was composed of a balance of members for and against this proposal. Past President Matthew Eagleton, MD, continued the project, and the task force met monthly for more than a year, including a two-day live meeting at SVS HQ.
The SVS hired an external financial expert to analyze the costs of working towards a free-standing board and an external polling agency to help develop a non-binding questionnaire. The survey was emailed to all board-certified SVS members in the spring, along with a summary of the task force findings. The response rate was very high (30%) and yielded statistically valid results. The responses were 49% in favor of a free-standing board and 51% favoring the federated board. The SVS bylaws and American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) rules state that the Executive Board can only recommend a course of action but cannot be directly involved in operating a free-standing board. And after two years of thorough evaluation by a dedicated task force, the SVS Executive Board has decided not to pursue the creation of a free-standing VSB at this time.
ACS/SVS Vascular Verification Program
The SVS and ACS embarked on a Vascular Verification Program several years ago with the goal of certifying high-quality hospitals and vascular ambulatory care sites as vascular centers of excellence based on SVS standards and linkage to a registry such as the SVS Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) database. The SVS Clinical Practice Council and many SVS members contributed a great deal of time and effort to this project, but the applications have been fewer than desired. To lead by example, improve the application rate, and demonstrate we are committed to this project, we requested our SVS leadership, namely the 30 members of the SVS Strategic Board of Directors (SBOD), apply immediately to the program. I will establish deadlines to track progress of this initiative. Although the application process is rigorous, those centers that have completed the process found doing so greatly improved their quality of care. The cost of the program to the hospital or center is approximately $20,000, but we should approach hospital administrators enthusiastically and emphasize the value of vascular surgeons to the centers and to our patients. Since the Vascular Annual Meeting (VAM), I am glad to report that 21 new applications have been submitted.
External review
The SVS has grown exponentially in the last 10 years and has provided many more additional services with the creation of new and exciting committees and sections. As a result, the expenses incurred by the SVS increased significantly. I recommended a comprehensive evaluation of all services to see where we can contain costs and not burden our members with increased dues and VAM registration fees nor count on increased industry sponsorship. I will lead a search committee to hire an outside firm to objectively review the strategic alignment of priorities and resources as well as to seek new sources of revenue.
If you have a particular issue or question you would like addressed, please email me at [email protected].
Keith Calligaro is the 2025–26 SVS president.
