Step 1 – Capture the Data

Based on QCMetrix' work with the Veterans' Administration National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (VA NSQIP) during 1999-2001, and with the American College of Surgeons' NSQIP (ACS NSQIP) during 2001-2010 and with the Blue Cross/Blue Shield funded Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative (MSQC) since 2006 to the present, the company has designed and continued to enhance a reliable, flexible and scalable information platform that works with any hospital system and adapts as new program requirements and protocols emerge.

Step 1 starts with a systematic data collection process at the participating site. This can take the form of either a dedicated nurse reviewer entering data into Web-based applications, or data automation tools like QCMitt that extract the data from internal systems.

Step 2 – Analyze the Data

Once the data have been captured, QCMetrix performs a number of tests to verify that its completeness and validity are consistent with a program's requirements. In addition, statistical analysis is run on the data to check for data quality and to prepare the data for presentation in the online reports, which are updated continuously.

Step 3 – Present the Data

A first-hand knowledge and understanding of the VA NSQIP, the ACS NSQIP, and the MSQC processes has enabled QCMetrix to develop a series of reports for participating hospitals to monitor their clinical performance improvement efforts. These state-of-the-art reports allow participating sites to view in real time their surgical data in detail and in summary, and to benchmark their results against other sites or against different time periods. Benchmarking not only analyzes and measures the key outputs of a given process or function against the best, but also identifies the underlying key actions and root causes that contribute to any performance difference. QCMetrix also works closely with clients to develop customized reports meeting their specialized needs.

Step 4 – Act On the Data

A program has no impact on the quality of care until the findings from the data are presented back to hospital staff and then applied—through new methodologies and procedures—in that operating environment. QCMetrix services assist hospitals in disseminating findings to inform quality improvement.