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Information contained on this website is intended to help improve quality of health care. Information presented here is an informal effort to stimulate discussion and illuminate possibilities. VCSQI members do not represent this information to constitute medical advice. VCSQI members cannot be held responsible for errors in the presentation of information in this informal medium.

 
Welcome to the Virginia Cardiac Surgery Quality Initiative website. This site is intended for physicians, nursing executives, quality improvement specialists, and others interested in enhancing the quality of cardiac surgery outcomes and making best use of scarce resources.

Group

(left to right) Paul Frantz, MD, vice chairman; David Frantz, MD; Denton Stam, MD; Karen Forsman; Ivan Crosby, MD; John Peterman; Alan Speir, MD chairman; Jennifer Chiusano; Jeff Rich, MD, Director, Center for Medicare Management; Ed Fonner; Vig Kasirajan, MD

Chris Sytsma, RN, MSN, CPHQ, Winchester Medical Center. 2008 recipient of the John H. Bell Award for Outstanding Leadership in Quality and Outcomes

VCSQI is a voluntary consortium of 16 hospitals and 10 cardiac surgical practices providing open-heart surgery in the Commonwealth of Virginia. VSCQI’s members perform over 99 percent of Virginia’s open-heart procedures. The group has convened since 1996, comparing data and exchanging information to improve the quality of surgical care and contain costs. VCSQI helps implement protocls to reduce post-operative complications, was involved in the adoption of quality measures in cardiac surgery for the National Quality Forum, and has formulated policies on pay for performance programs.

 

Latest News from The Doctor's Lounge
  • Causes and diagnosis of chest pain in young females - Not all times is a chest pain necessarily originating from or caused by diseases of the heart - says Dr. Madia.
  • Lack of sleep linked to increased risk of high blood pressure - Middle aged people who sleep 5 hours or less, may be increasing their risk of developing high blood pressure.
  • Coffee linked to heart attack for persons with certain gene - Persons with a genetic variation may have slower caffeine metabolism according to a study in the March 8 issue of JAMA.
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