Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative Reaches Milestone 1,000 Centers Mark

Participating VQI centers range from outpatient sites to large health systems ensuring a wide range of data for improving quality of care and patient safety

CHICAGO (April 11, 2023) — The Society for Vascular Surgery® Vascular Quality Initiative^® (SVS VQI) clinical registry announced today it has achieved another milestone, with more than 1,000 centers enlisted in VQI registries. This achievement will strengthen vascular care, improve outcomes and underscore the value of real-world data in analyzing outcomes and reducing resource utilization. 

The past year has been pivotal for the SVS VQI, a clinical registry dedicated to improving the care of vascular patients through a data-driven approach to health care. In late 2022, the organization achieved a significant milestone by surpassing 1 million procedures collected in its database. Since its inception, clinical data gathered from participating centers has dramatically impacted patient care, leading to scientific discoveries that have changed the way in which care is delivered, improving outcomes and saving thousands of lives.

Now, the interest and engagement of 1,000 centers – including many of the top medical/surgical hospitals in the nation– strengthens the ability of the SVS VQI to elevate the delivery of care for thousands of vascular patients each year.

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

Since 2011, when the SVS VQI was formed, VQI registries have achieved strong growth in participation and engagement. In 2022 alone, 100 quality charters have gotten underway. Other major milestones include:

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

On average, more than 10,000 new procedures are added to the clinical registry each month. 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 make 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 post-approval trials, and facilitates expansion of current indications for use. As the SVS VQI continues to grow, so, too, does its impact on medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies.   

The SVS VQI Vascular Implant Surveillance and Interventional Outcomes Network (VISION) is a partnership between the SVS VQI and Medical Device Epidemiology Network (MDEpiNet) that 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 novel registry-claims linked datasets. The datasets combine the clinical detail from the SVS VQI with long-term outcome variables derived from Medicare claims.

Another major initiative launched in 2022 is the SVS VQI Fellowship in Training (SVS FIT) program. Individuals completing their medical residencies or fellowships in any vascular disease-focused specialty (e.g., vascular surgery, cardiology, radiology, vascular medicine) may participate in the 12- to 18-month program. It 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 (APDVS), American College of Cardiology and the Society for Vascular Medicine.  

SVS VQI registries are powered by the Fivos PATHWAYS® platform, a secure, cloud-based solution for data collection and analysis. Using PATHWAYS, SVS VQI participating providers can utilize real-time reporting to benchmark performance, while device manufacturers can develop custom projects that leverage registry data to accelerate device development, evaluation, or approval.

To learn more, visit https://www.vqi.org.

About SVS VQI
The Society for Vascular Surgery® Vascular Quality Initiative® (SVS VQI) is governed by the SVS Patient Safety Organization (SVS PSO), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Society for Vascular Surgery, which provides oversight of data sharing arrangements, key outcome and quality measure analyses, and dissemination of information to participating providers. SVS VQI comprises vascular surgeons, cardiac surgeons, general surgeons, cardiologists, radiologists and other specialists who perform vascular procedures collected in the VQI Registries, as well as Quality Improvement professionals, data managers and others dedicated to improving patient outcomes.