Using the Vascular Quality Initiative to improve quality of care and patient outcomes for vascular surgery patients

The Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) is a collaborative network of vascular specialists from various specialties that seeks to improve the quality and safety of vascular care by sharing data among physicians, medical centers, and regions. Working under a Patient Safety Organization designation by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the VQI provides a protected environment where data can be pooled and evaluated for trends that might provide opportunities to improve the care we provide our patients. Since its inception in 2011, this national organization has grown rapidly and now involves >300 medical centers that are separated into 18 active regional groups who meet twice yearly to discuss quality improvement. The structure of the VQI provides a powerful platform for data collection and analysis, and has allowed the development of a large body of literature that demonstrates the importance and benefits of participation. Here we provide a brief overview of the VQI to date.