Tennessee surgical quality collaborative touts successes

Ten hospitals in the Tennessee Surgical Quality Collaborative (TSQC) reduced surgical complications by 19.7% since 2009, according to an American College of Surgeons (ACS) press release. The TSQC presented its results last week at the ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program National Conference in New York City.

The initiative resulted in at least 533 lives saved and $75.2 million in reduced costs. The collaborative was formed in 2008 as a partnership of the Tennessee chapter of the ACS and the Tennessee Hospital Association’s Center for Patient Safety, with support from Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Tennessee Health Foundation. TSQC hospitals collected clinical, 30-day outcomes data from 10 participating hospitals to examine and identify trends and evaluate best practices. Between 2009 and 2012, data on more than 55,000 surgical procedures was collected and rates of 17 different types of surgical complications were studied.

Read the press release here.