MSTCVS Quality Collaborative

Implements Quality Improvement Initiatives

Quality Improvement Open Chat Hour

Blinded slides are now on REDCAp

The MSTCVS‑QC brings together adult cardiac and general thoracic surgery programs across Michigan in a powerful statewide partnership.

Driven by a shared commitment to excellence, participating hospitals and their teams work collaboratively to strengthen surgical quality, improve patient outcomes, and elevate the overall standard of cardiothoracic care.

By combining collective expertise with open sharing of data, best practices, and improvement strategies, the Collaborative helps hospitals advance their surgical performance. This statewide effort supports continuous learning, provides meaningful benchmarking opportunities, and helps translate current research and evidence‑based guidelines into everyday clinical practice.

Together, we are shaping the future of adult cardiac and general thoracic surgery in Michigan – making better care possible for every patient, every day.

Quality Reporting

Access, Engage, and Advance Together

MSTCVS
Quality Dashboard

PERForm Tools

Tools and Resources

Quality Improvement Hub: Tools, Guidelines, and Best Practices

A central hub for Michigan’s cardiothoracic surgical teams, offering best practices, clinical guidelines, training materials, and quality improvement forms designed to improve care and patient outcomes statewide.

Reporting Materials

Easily access the forms you need to support data submission, quality reporting, and statewide improvement initiatives.

Data Quality Checker

A tool developed by the MSTCVS Quality Collaborative to provide our Data Managers with an additional layer of validation for harvest files, enhancing both data quality and accuracy.

Quality Improvement Resources

Explore evidence-based strategies and shared lessons from across Michigan’s cardiothoracic surgical community.

Data Manager Education

Access a library of additional materials designed to support continuous learning and collaboration.

Programs and Partnerships

Adult Cardiac Surgery Sites

33 Michigan Sites collaborating for excellence in adult Cardiac Surgery.

General Thoracic Surgery Sites

21 programs in Michigan are participating in the General Thoracic Quality Collaborative.

PERForm Registry

PERForm is a validated clinical registry designed to bridge gaps in cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) data. By linking perfusion and surgical information, PERForm provides members with comprehensive, benchmarked insights into CPB practices and outcomes, empowering centers to drive quality improvement and informed decision-making.

Michigan Structural Heart Consortium

The Michigan Structural Heart Consortium (MISHC) is a partnership between the BCBSM Cardiovascular Consortium and the MSTCVS Quality Collaborative, uniting interventionalists, surgeons, and patients to guide lifelong care decisions. Through a prospective registry and regional collaboration, MISHC works to improve the quality and outcomes of structural heart procedures.

Upcoming Collaborative Meetings

15 - 16
May

May 15 and 16, 2026

May 15 - 16, 2026 All Day EventKalamazoo MSTCVS Quality CollaborativeMSTCVS Quality Collaborative Quarterly Meeting, PERForm Registry

Learn More

13 - 16
Aug

MSTCVS 62nd Annual Meeting

Aug 13 - 16, 2026 All Day EventThe Westin Book Cadillac Detroit Michigan Society of Thoracic & Cardiovascular SurgeonsAnnual Meeting

Learn More

Save the Date Calendar

Coordinating Center Team

Supporting Michigan Sites to Achieve Better Cardiothoracic Outcomes

The Quality Collaborative Coordinating Center plays a vital role in supporting the mission of the Michigan Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons Quality Collaborative (MSTCVS-QC).

Our team brings together leaders, clinicians, and support staff from across the state to promote a culture of teamwork and continuous improvement in cardiac and thoracic surgical care.

By fostering open communication and the exchange of best practices among hospitals and providers, we help drive meaningful quality initiatives that benefit both patients and surgical teams. The Coordinating Center assists participating sites with data reporting, interprets and disseminates performance metrics, and organizes statewide meetings and learning opportunities designed to advance excellence in patient care.

Through ongoing collaboration, education, and support, we strive to ensure every Michigan hospital involved in adult cardiac and general thoracic surgery can deliver the highest quality outcomes. Together, we’re committed to making a lasting impact on surgical care across the state.

Meet the Quality Collaborative  Coordinating Center Team

Directors

Dr. Andrew Pruitt, MD

Project Director

Dr. Francis Pagani, MD, PhD

Associate Director

Dr. Rishindra Reddy, MD, MBA

General Thoracic Associate Director

Staff

Dr. Richard Prager, MD

Director Emeritus

Dr. Donald Likosky, PhD

PERForm Registry Director

Melissa Clark

MSTCVS QC Project Manager
clarkmel@med.umich.edu

Lisa Grelecki

Quality Initiatives Coordinator
lgreleck@med.umich.edu

M. Elise Hollenbeck

General Thoracic Quality Initiatives Coordinator
hollenbm@med.umich.edu

Sherry Binder

Education and Audit Coordinator
binders@med.umich.edu

Don Nieter

PERForm Quality Initiative Coordinator
dnieter@med.umich.edu

Barbara Benedetti

Admin/Project Coordinator
bbenedet@med.umich.edu

Raquel Hazzard

Admin/Project Coordinator
rhazzard@med.umich.edu

Chang He

Statistician Senior
changhe@med.umich.edu

Ahmed Bendaly

Database Analyst
ahmedben@med.umich.edu

Lourdes Cabrera

Clinical Research Project Manager
lcabrera@med.umich.edu

Korana Stakich-Alpirez

Clinical Research Project Manager
kstakich@med.umich.edu

Dave Grix

Grant Support
dgrix@med.umich.edu

Andrew L. Pruitt, MD

Project Director

Andrew L. Pruitt. MD has been a member of the MSTCVS since 1998 and has served as St. Joseph Mercy Hospital (SJMH) in Ann Arbor MSTCVS Quality Collaborative’s Surgeon Champion since 2005.

He is board-certified in thoracic surgery and became the section head of Cardio Thoracic Surgery at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor in 2002 serving until 2012, which included quality monitoring and service as Vice Chairman of the Department of Surgery for the years 2009-2013. From 2014-2016, he held the position of Chairman of the Department of Surgery within Integrated HealthCare Association (IHA).

Dr. Pruitt graduated from medical school with Highest Distinction as a member of Alpha Omega Alpha from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in 1990. He completed his residency in general surgery and a fellowship in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at the Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis. After medical school he served in the US Army Reserve for 19 years, completing his service with the rank of Lt. Colonel.

Dr. Pruitt has been married to Jenny Cotton Pruitt, MD, PhD for 31 years and has two boys, Nate and Jackson. He enjoys cycling, travelling, and crossword puzzles, although, he has been known to cheat at the latter.

Francis D. Pagani, MD, PhD

Associate Director

Francis D. Pagani, MD, PhD graduated Georgetown University Medical School in 1986. He completed a Surgical Internship and Residency at Georgetown University Hospital in 1988.

From 1988 to 1990, he was a Research Fellow in Cardiovascular Surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. In 1990, Dr. Pagani returned to Georgetown University Hospital where he completed a Surgical Residency and was named Chief Resident in Surgery. He completed a Thoracic Surgery Residency at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1995.

Dr. Pagani has been a member of the MSTCVS since 2005. He is certified by The American Board of Thoracic Surgery and is the Otto Gago MD Professor in Cardiac Surgery at Michigan Medicine. His clinical focus includes surgical therapies for advanced heart failure including heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support, complex re-operative surgery for valvular heart disease, congenital heart disease in the adult, and surgery for coronary artery disease. Dr. Pagani also serves as the surgical lead for the multidisciplinary Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy program and has an active practice in surgical treatments (myectomies) for this disorder. He also serves as the surgical lead for The Center for Circulatory Support (VAD Program). Dr. Pagani has an active research program supported, in part, by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). His research focuses on the bioengineering development and clinical testing of mechanical circulatory support devices in the treatment of end-stage heart disease, clinical health outcomes research, and use of stem cell transplantation for myocardial regeneration.

Dr. Pagani and his wife, Nancy and daughter, Monica have been members of the Ann Arbor community since 1993. Dr. Pagani is an avid skier and enjoys mountaineering, travel, photography and reading, particularly about historical events and people.

Rishi Reddy, MD, MBA

General Thoracic Associate Director

Rishi Reddy, MD, MBA earned his undergraduate and medical degrees at Northwestern University, and completed his general surgery residency at Washington University-Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri.

His spent two years during his residency, as a Clinical Research Fellow at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. He completed his Thoracic Surgery residency at the University of Washington and was a visiting fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Dr. Reddy’s clinical interests include all aspects of general thoracic surgery including thoracic oncology, minimally invasive techniques, pectus repair and therapy for end-stage lung disease including transplantation and lung volume reduction surgery.

His academic interests include improving outcomes for patients with thoracic cancers, molecular targeting for thoracic cancers, resident and medical student education. He is a Professor in Thoracic Surgery at the University of Michigan and the Director of the Center for Surgical Innovation, the Chair of the UM-Comprehensive Robotic Surgery Program and the Endowed José José Alvarez Professor of Thoracic Oncology Research.

Dr. Reddy was born and raised in Michigan.