Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative

ACHQC'S MISSION IS TO IMPROVE QUALITY AND VALUE IN THE SURGICAL TREATMENT OF HERNIA, ABDOMINAL CORE, AND ABDOMINAL WALL DISEASE THROUGH COLLABORATION USING DATA.

MANAGED AND GREW OUR ACHQC DATABASE OF REAL-WORLD DATA KNOWN AS THE ACHQC REGISTRY. BY THE END OF 2021, THE ACHQC REGISTRY INCLUDED DATA COLLECTED ON OVER 89,500 OPERATIONS PERFORMED BY 460 SURGEONS IN 45 STATES ACROSS THE USA. OVER 16,000 SURGICAL CASES WERE ADDED IN 2021. THE DATA SUPPORTED NUMEROUS ANALYSES OF THE REGISTRY'S REAL-WORLD DATA WHICH WERE MADE AVAILABLE TO OUR VOLUNTEER SURGEON COLLABORATORS WHO INPUT DATA FROM THEIR SURGERIES INTO THE ACHQC REGISTRY AND INDUSTRY COLLABORATORS FOR THEIR USE IN COLLABORATIVELY SHARING SUCH DATA AND TO OTHERWISE USE SUCH ANALYZED DATA TO IMPROVE QUALITY AND VALUE IN THE SURGICAL TREATMENT AND INTERVENTION IN HERNIA, ABDOMINAL CORE, AND ABDOMINAL WALL DISEASE.

PROVIDED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS TO BOTH ACHQC VOLUNTEER SURGEONS WHO CONTRIBUTE DATA ON THEIR SURGERIES TO THE ACHQC REGISTRY AND TO ALL OTHER SURGEONS TO SHARE LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE DATA COLLECTED IN ORDER TO IMPROVE SURGICAL PRACTICE AND STANDARDS. INCLUDING A MONTHLY VIRTUAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM, KNOWN AS QC CORE INSIGHTS, WHICH PROVIDES CRITICAL REVIEW OF HOT TOPICS IN HERNIA AND ABDOMINAL CORE HEALTH FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF SURGICAL PRACTICE. THE QC CORE INSIGHTS PROGRAM IS FREELY DELIVERED ON A MONTHLY BASIS VIA ZOOM WITH ON-DEMAND VIDEO RECORDINGS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC ON THE ACHQC.ORG WEBSITE.

IN 2021, ACHQC OPERATIONALIZED ITS PATIENT ENGAGEMENT & ADVOCACY COMMITTEE (ESTABLISHED IN LATE 2020) TO SUPPORT ACHQC'S MISSION BY SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND AND IMPROVE PATIENT EXPERIENCES BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER SURGERY. THE COMMITTEE RECRUITED 6 PATIENTS AND 3 SURGEONS WHO MET REGULARLY IN 2021 TO IDENTIFY PATIENT NEEDS AND DEVELOP EDUCATIONAL TOOLS AND PROGRAM THAT REFLECT THE PATIENT PERSPECTIVE. THE COMMITTEE PRESENTED A FEATURED PROGRAM AS PART OF ACHQC'S QC CORE INSIGHTS (A MONTHLY EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FREE FOR ALL STAKEHOLDERS IN SURGICAL HERNIA AND ABDOMINAL CORE CARE): ENHANCING OUTCOMES: THE PATIENT PERSPECTIVE, WHICH ADDRESSED AND FACILLITATED DISCUSSION ON THE TOPICS OF EXPECTATIONS VS. REALITY AND WHAT PATIENTS NEED AND WANT TO KNOW BEFORE THEIR PROCEDURE. THE COMMITTEE ALSO FACILITATED TWO OF ITS MEMBERS SHARING THEIR STORIES IN TALKING WITH YOUR PATIENTS ABOUT HERNIA MESH, A FEATURED ARTICLE IN THE GENERAL SURGERY NEWS HERNIA FOCUS EDITION. AT THE COMMITTEE'S SUGGESTION, IN 2021 ACHQC JOINED THE NATIONAL HEALTH COUNSEL, A NON-PROFIT CREATED BY AND FOR PATIENT ORGANIZATIONS IN 1920, WHICH BRINGS TOGETHER DIVERSE ORGANIZATIONS TO FORGE CONSENSUS AND DRIVE PATIENT-CENTERED HEALTH POLICY.