STS News - Winter 2017

The Society is rolling out several new features and upgrades that will make it easier for STS National Database participants to submit files, access interactive progress reports, and include information on evolving procedures.

The STS 53rd Annual Meeting is just a few weeks away, but it’s not too late to join your colleagues in Houston, Texas, for one of the largest cardiothoracic surgery meetings in the world.

Adoption of new technology can be a very slow process, especially in cardiothoracic surgery. We have a mandate for quality, which is critically important, but sometimes great quality can be at odds with innovation, especially for “early adoption.” We can’t stay stuck in old paradigms, however.

Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, CMS has been seeking to promote cooperative, value-based care. Alternative payment models are one way CMS is attempting to drive quality and value.

Regular readers of this space (both of you, not counting members of my family) know that I regularly use this issue of STS News as an opportunity for a personal “year in review” and “what’s on deck preview” from the vantage point of an STS staffer who has witnessed a lot over the course of these past 30 years working with and for the Society.

Find the latest updates on STS member job changes, promotions, and awards.

With the launch of the STS Participant User File (PUF) Research Program last fall, participants in the STS National Database now have the opportunity to request national-scale de-identified data for use in research projects.

With the launch of public reporting for the General Thoracic Surgery Database, the STS National Database is giving general thoracic surgeons the same opportunity to display their commitment to transparency and quality improvement as their adult cardiac and congenital heart surgery colleagues have had.

This past October, 20 STS members traveled to Washington, DC, and met with Congressional staff.