UK HealthCare

UK Chandler Hospital Receives National Recognition from the American College of Surgeons

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 27, 2015)  The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) has recognized University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital  including surgeries performed at UK Good Samaritan Hospital and at UK’s outpatient-based Center for Advanced Surgery  as one of 52 ACS NSQIP participating hospitals that have achieved meritorious outcomes for surgical patient care.

“Our surgeons and the surgical care provided at UK HealthCare are outstanding,” said Dr. Bernard Boulanger, chief medical officer and professor of surgery. “The recognition of our meritorious surgical outcomes by the American College of Surgeons is an affirmation of that fact.”

As a participant in ACS NSQIP, UK Chandler Hospital is required to track the outcomes of inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures and collect data that directs patient safety and the quality of surgical care improvements.  

  • ACS NSQIP selected outcomes in the following eight outcome areas for all surgical cases:
  • Mortality
  • Cardiac (cardiac arrest and myocardial infarction)
  • Pneumonia
  • Unplanned intubation
  • Ventilator (more than 48 hours)
  • Renal failure
  • Cardiac incidents (cardiac arrest and myocardial infarction)
  • Respiratory (pneumonia)
  • SSI (surgical site infection: superficial incisional SSI, deep incisional SSI and organ/space SSI)
  • Urinary tract infection 

UK Chandler Hospital achieved the distinction based on an outstanding composite quality score in the eight areas listed above. Risk-adjusted data from the July 2015 ACS NSQIP Semiannual Report, which presents data from the 2014 calendar year, were used to determine which hospitals demonstrated meritorious outcomes. 

“One of the original participants in the ACS NSQIP program, UK HealthCare has maintained a persistent focus on improving surgical care delivery,” said Dr. Mark V. Williams, chief transformation and learning officer. “We always strive for meritorious outcomes at UK HealthCare, and deeply appreciate this recognition.”

ACS NSQIP is the only nationally validated quality improvement program that measures and enhances the care of surgical patients. This program measures the actual surgical results 30 days after surgery as well as compensates for differences among patient populations and degree of sickness.  The program’s goal is to reduce infection or illness related to a surgical procedure or death related to a surgical procedure and to provide a firm foundation for surgeons to apply the best scientific evidence to the practice of surgery. 

When adverse effects from surgical procedures are reduced and/or eliminated, a reduction in health care costs follows. ACS NSQIP is a major program of the American College of Surgeons and is currently used in more than 650 adult and pediatric hospitals.

The American College of Surgeons was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The college has more than 74,000 members and it is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.

Media Contact: Kristi Lopez, kristi.lopez@uky.edu