The George Washington University Hospital Receives National Recognition for Meritorious Outcomes from the American College of Surgeons

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) has recognized The George Washington University Hospital (GW Hospital), as one of 52 ACS NSQIP participating hospitals that have achieved meritorious outcomes for surgical patient care. 

"The George Washington University Hospital is honored to be the only ACS NSQIP hospital in the D.C. region and one of only 52 in the country recognized for its patient safety and outcomes," says Barry A. Wolfman, CEO/Managing Director of GW Hospital. "This is a testament to the commitment of the physicians, nurses and staff in providing our patients with the highest quality care."

As a participant in ACS NSQIP, GW 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.

The ACS NSQIP recognition program commends a select group of hospitals for achieving meritorious outcome performances related to patient management in eight clinical areas: mortality, unplanned intubation, ventilator > 48 hours, renal failure, cardiac incidents (cardiac arrest and myocardial infarction); respiratory (pneumonia); SSI (surgical site infections-superficial and deep incisional and organ-space SSIs); or urinary tract infection.  The 52 hospitals commended achieved the distinction based on their 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. 

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 postoperatively as well as risk adjusts patient characteristics to compensate for differences among patient populations and acuity levels. The goal of ACS NSQIP is to reduce surgical morbidity (infection or illness related to a surgical procedure) and surgical mortality (death related to a surgical procedure) and to provide a firm foundation for surgeons to apply what is known as the "best scientific evidence" to the practice of surgery.  Furthermore, 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 over 650 adult and pediatric hospitals. 

In addition to this most recent recognition, GW Hospital is designated as a Level I Trauma Center by the ACS; designated as a Level 4 Epilepsy Center, the highest level possible, by The National Association of Epilepsy Centers; and recognized as a Level III neonatal intensive care unit.

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients.  The College has more than 74,000 members and it is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.

About the George Washington University Hospital
The George Washington University Hospital is a 385-bed tertiary care, academic medical center located in downtown Washington, DC. Featuring a Level I Trauma Center and a Level III NICU, GW Hospital offers clinical expertise in a variety of areas including cardiac, cancer, neurosciences, women's health, and advanced surgery including robotic and minimally invasive surgery. The mission of the George Washington University Hospital is to provide high-quality health care, advanced medical technology and world-class service to its patients in an academic medical center dedicated to education and research. GW Hospital is jointly owned and operated by George Washington University and a subsidiary of Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS).

SOURCE The George Washington University Hospital