The MSTCVS Quality Collaborative has been a regional and national leader in establishing quality initiatives to improve patient care and decrease costs associated with major Cardiac Surgery operations in Michigan since 2006. Many MSTCVS cardiac surgeons also provide operative care for lung and esophageal cancer patients. In June of 2014, BCBSM approved expanding the MSTCVS-QC to include general thoracic surgery, allowing MSTCVS efforts to include quality initiatives for three cancer treatment operations: Lobectomy, Pneumonectomy and Esophagectomy procedures. These operations are some of the most serious, costly, and difficult to manage for both the patient and surgeon.

The MSTCVS General Thoracic data warehouse allows us to utilize individual site STS General Thoracic data for outcomes review. Regional data is reviewed twice per year at our February and August MSTCVS-QC meetings. By examining MSTCVS regional data for these surgeries and their outcomes, we have been able to define and decrease variation associated with these procedures to improve the quality of care for patients in Michigan.

Sixteen sites participate in the MSTCVS General Thoracic Collaborative.

Current quality improvement Initiatives are to review outcomes associated with video assisted lobectomy for lung cancer and the standardization of mediastinal staging for lung cancer in Michigan.

Contact Melissa Clark at the MSTCVS coordinating center for more information.