Courtesy Albany Med
Albany Medical Center, a member of the Albany Med Health System, is among the first four hospitals in the United States to be verified as part of the Vascular Verification Program (Vascular-VP), a program recently launched by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) with the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS).
To receive verification, Albany Medical Center has shown a commitment to improving outcomes and care for patients receiving vascular surgical and interventional treatment in an outpatient setting.
“The Vascular Verification Program helps strengthen a hospital’s safety and continuous improvement culture to enhance patient outcomes with greater reliability and standardization of care. As one of the first hospitals to receive this verification, Albany Medical Center has shown its commitment to providing the highest quality care for vascular patients,” said Clifford Y. Ko, MD, Director, ACS Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care.
Albany Medical Center served as one of eight pilot programs to assist in the development of the verification standards. To become verified, the hospital had to meet elements of vascular surgical care and quality across nine domains, including institutional commitment; program scope and governance; resources for facilities, personnel, and services; clinical care; data abstraction and analysis; quality improvement; and education and research.
“To become a successful vascular program, comprehensive infrastructure needs to be in place to care for these incredibly complex patients,” said R. Clement Darling III, chief of vascular surgery at Albany Medical Center. “This verification is a testament to our team’s dedication to our patients, and to our leadership for their ongoing support.”
As a Vascular-VP verified hospital, Albany Medical Center also becomes an ACS Surgical Quality Partner, which signifies a hospital’s dedication to consistently improving procedures and approaches, while maintaining a critical eye on process at every step.
“Vascular Verification and ACS Surgical Quality Partner designation assures our patients that Albany Medical Center is dedicated to quality and relentless self-improvement. Patients can trust that the care they receive at Albany Medical Center adheres to the most rigorous standards in surgical quality,” said Dr. Marie King, chair of the Department of Surgery and professor and chief of Surgery at Albany Medical Center.
“We welcome Albany Medical Center into the ACS Quality Programs. They have shown their commitment to delivering the highest quality care, evaluating that care in a rigorous fashion, and dedicating themselves to continuous improvement,” said ACS executive director and CEO Dr. Patricia Turner.
Albany Medical Center is the major referral center and the largest provider of vascular surgery in northeastern New York and western New England. The program has a long history of excellence. The team is visited regularly by colleagues worldwide and has pioneered numerous procedures that are now standard in the field, including procedures to repair aneurysms and peripheral artery disease.