The UAB Cardiovascular Institute (CVI) has earned another three-star rating during its yearly participation and evaluation in the Society for Vascular Surgery’s Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS VQI).

To obtain a perfect, three-start ranking, institutions must excel in the following criteria:  

• The completeness of long-term follow-up reporting, based on the percentage of patients for whom they have follow-up out to a year
• Physician and staff attendance at semi-annual meetings of a regional quality group
• Initiation of quality improvement activities based on VQI data
• Number of vascular registries in which the center participates

VQI’s registries contain demographic, clinical, procedural and outcomes data from more than 1,000,000 vascular procedures performed in the United States, Canada and Singapore. Each record includes information regarding process of care and outcomes from the patient’s initial hospitalization and at one-year follow-up.

The wealth of data allows centers and providers to compare their performance to regional and national benchmarks. All centers and providers receive biannual dashboards and regular performance reports, so they can use their data to support quality improvement initiatives.

“This accomplishment is earned each and every day in our clinical spaces and shows a dedication to the quality of care that we provide our vascular patients,” says CVI Director of Quality and Associate Chief Medical Quality Officer Adam Beck, M.D. “I’d like to extend a big thank you to our Vascular Quality Improvement nurse Courtney Busby for all that she has done to help us realize this goal yet again this year.”