The American College of Surgeons Surgeon Specific Registry (ACS SSR™) has a legacy of positively affecting patient care by serving the needs of individual surgeons in tracking their cases, measuring outcomes, and complying with the changing regulatory requirements. Over the course of more than a decade, the SSR has grown from the original Case Log system into a comprehensive online quality improvement tool, which is convenient and easy to use from any computer or mobile device (iOS and Android). At this year’s Clinical Congress, attendees have the opportunity to learn more about the ACS SSR when visiting ACS Central and the virtual SSR booth.
Better outcomes
Surgeons can follow their patients through the phases of surgical care by collecting their clinically relevant patient data—preoperatively, intraoperatively, and postoperatively—including outcomes variables. Using the analytics functionality, surgeons can learn from their data and determine successful outcomes or what they can do in the future to ensure the best outcomes for their patients. The SSR Practice Improvement Initiative (SSR PII) Planning Committee has developed the SSR PII Quality Case Data Review and Assessment of Trends and Improvement Opportunities, providing various opportunities for surgeons to best collect, review, reflect on, and learn from their surgical case data continually. The ACS designates this Other activity (Quality data review, assessment of trends) for a maximum of 15.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Of the AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ listed above, a maximum of 0 credits meet the requirements for Self-Assessment. Learn more about SSR PII 2022 and how to enroll here.
The SSR team is excited to present the new SSR Benchmarking Report, which can be accessed under Operational Reports after logging into the SSR. Register now to participate in a brief demonstration of the SSR Benchmarking Report. An SSR Benchmarking Report user guide also is available. The SSR Benchmarking Report compares your individual surgeon data against aggregated SSR and ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) data. The report focuses on preop and postop data. In addition, as of 2021, the SSR has aligned all variables with the ACS NSQIP and improved the preoperative data entry experience for users.
More than 3.4 million case records have been entered in the SSR system since its initial release on the new ACS quality data registry platform in 2017, and it has a current active user base of more than 7,000 surgeons. Many surgeons use delegate account access and the ability to upload many cases at once using Excel. The SSR offers helpful educational resources in the SSR Library to optimize the use of the registry with step-by-step guides and videos.
Meet regulatory mandates
The SSR further aids individual surgeons in meeting regulatory requirements. Surgeons can fulfill the practice improvement requirement of the American Board of Surgery (ABS) Continuous Certification Program, which requires ongoing participation in a local, regional, or national outcomes registry or quality assessment program. In addition, the ABS requires that surgeons submit a 12-month operative log at least every 10 years, which can also be accomplished using electronic transfer from the SSR.
If you are new to the SSR, opening your SSR user account is easy. All you need to get started is your eight-digit ACS member number and you can quickly sign up online to become an SSR user today. The SSR is offered free of charge to ACS members, whereas nonmember surgeons pay an annual subscription fee. Visit facs.org/join to become an ACS member today.
The ACS SSR will continuously improve the functionality of the system, as well as address enhancement opportunities while communicating programmatic updates and providing education and training on how to use the SSR. For more information, contact the SSR program representatives at [email protected].