SVS VQI Tops 1,000 Participating Centers

April 11, 2023—The Society for Vascular Surgery announced that its Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS VQI) clinical registry now includes more than 1,000 centers enlisted in VQI registries.

According to the press release, the engagement of 1,000 centers strengthens the ability of the SVS VQI to elevate the delivery of care for thousands of vascular patients each year. This achievement will strengthen vascular care, improve outcomes, and underscore the value of real-world data in analyzing outcomes and reducing resource utilization, notes SVS.

“Improving quality is a high priority for everyone in the medical community,” commented Jens Eldrup-Jorgensen, MD, in the SVS VQI press release. “This long list of SVS VQI participating centers reflects their commitment to quality.”

Dr. Eldrup-Jorgensen, who is medical director, SVS Patient Safety Organization, continued, “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.”

Major milestones of the VQI include:

• More than 1 million procedures collected
• More than 600 articles published in peer-reviewed journals using SVS VQI data
• 18 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
• 14 VQI registries established, each collecting demographic, clinical, procedural and outcomes data from more than one million vascular procedures performed in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Singapore
• Numerous collaborations with other organizations, including the American College of Cardiology, American Venous Forum, American Heart Association, Society for Vascular Medicine, Vascular Access Society of the Americas, Society for Vascular Ultrasound, and many regional vascular societies, governmental regulatory agencies, device manufacturers, and payers

SVS notes that, on average, more than 10,000 new procedures are added to the clinical registry each month with the following benefits:

• The wealth of data in the registry enables providers to track their performance and compare it against regional and national benchmarks.
• The depth and breadth of data makes the registry an increasingly powerful tool for medical device and drug manufacturers.
• Real-world data provided by the registry is a vital tool for the analysis of medical products.
• VQI allows analysis of the efficacy of devices and medications, performing postapproval trials, and facilitates expansion of current indications for use.

The society highlighted the partnership between the SVS VQI and the Medical Device Epidemiology Network—the Vascular Implant Surveillance and Interventional Outcomes Network (VISION)—which it says 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 registry-claims–linked datasets, which combine the clinical detail from the SVS VQI with long-term outcome variables derived from Medicare claims.

SVS also mentioned the recently launched SVS VQI Fellowship in Training (SVS FIT) program, wherein individuals completing medical residencies or fellowships in any vascular disease-focused specialty (eg, vascular surgery, cardiology, radiology, vascular medicine) may participate in the 12- to 18-month SVS FIT program. The program 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, American College of Cardiology, and Society for Vascular Medicine, stated SVS.