Two outcomes-based measures from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) were recently endorsed by the National Quality Forum (NQF). The two measures, surgical site infection (SSI) and urinary tract infection (UTI), were developed by ACS in partnership with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), as possible national outcomes measures that could be adopted by the governmental body as early as 2015.
In recent months, ACS has worked with the CDC to harmonize SSI measures developed by each organization. The newly endorsed SSI measure is a joint measure of ACS and CDC with the intent that participation with the measure may be performed through either ACS NSQIP or the CDC National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) program.