You don’t have to be too far down the path to get started. That’s the message William Shutze, MD, chair of the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS)-American College of Surgeons (ACS) Vascular Verification Program (VVP), wants vascular specialists across the country to grasp as they take the first step toward participating in the VVP, even if they’ve only just downloaded the standards.
The SVS, in collaboration with the ACS, launched the VVP as a national quality verification initiative designed to enhance the care and treatment of patients undergoing vascular surgical and interventional procedures in both inpatient and outpatient settings. The program offers two levels of participation, enabling institutions to engage based on their current capabilities and guiding them toward ongoing quality improvement.
“Even if you’re just beginning to explore the standards, we want to hear from you,” said Shutze. “The ACS quality team is eager to support you early in your journey and help you move toward a successful site review.”
The VVP organizes its framework around 12 domains that cover the five phases of care: preoperative, immediate preoperative, intraoperative, postoperative and follow-up.
These domains ensure that institutions not only have standardized protocols in place but also actively collect and analyze data to drive improvements.
A recent systematic review published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS) analyzed over 150 studies and found that programs like the VVP led to:
- A 1.9-day reduction in average hospital stay
- A $1,763 decrease in cost per admission
- Fewer complications across the board
- Empowering conversations with the C-suite
One of the barriers to adoption, according to Shutze, is that many vascular specialists don’t feel equipped to make the case for the program to their hospital leadership. To address this, the SVS is developing a toolkit that includes a brochure outlining the value of vascular surgery, return on investment (ROI) data and executive testimonial videos featuring hospital leaders who have seen the benefits firsthand. “We want our members to feel empowered when they walk into those meetings,” said Shutze. “This package will help them speak the language of the C-suite.”
As of this summer, eight programs have already been approved, with several more in the pipeline. Seven additional institutions are scheduling site visits, and a few are completing the final steps for certification. Shutze, of Texas Vascular Associates, also extended thanks to R. Clement Darling III, MD, Anton Sidawy, MD, and Anil Hingorani, MD, for their leadership, as well as the Vascular Quality Program Task Force. For institutions considering participation, the first step is straightforward: visit the ACS Quality Programs website at facs.org/vascular and start the process.
