The Management Board for the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR®) met this week at Heart House to discuss ways the College’s suite of hospital and outpatient registries fit into the overall strategic plan currently under development.The exponential growth of registry data through the NCDR is one of the key organizational changes driving the need for a strategic plan. This growth is providing physicians and care team members with crucial information about hospital and physician-level performance, as well as overarching cardiovascular trends. The registries are also evolving as a rich source of clinical data for research, post-marketing surveillance and quality improvement both nationally and increasingly around the globe. However, potential volatility in the registry market due to competing registries from electronic health record vendors and health systems may cloud the picture.

Due in large part to these drivers, “data” has emerged as one of five main themes around which the new strategic plan will be organized. (I talked a bit about the “transformation of care” theme last week.) I and the College’s leaders feel strongly that data must play a critical role in the overarching ACC efforts in order to accomplish all of the College’s organizational goals.

Data, especially those collected within the NCDR’s suite of registries, can and should be leveraged for research, post-market surveillance, and to identify gaps in care and ultimately track progress in closing these gaps. By weaving the use of our data into the routine quality assurance processes used by industry, government, institutions, payers and health care providers we can ensure that the College is an essential part of day-to-day operations and providing long-term value for improved patient care.

Linking educational programming to patient outcome data can also enhance members’ ability to achieve maintenance of certification (MOC) credits and provide better care. From an organizational perspective, the College’s rich data resources offer opportunities for not only revenue generation, but to accurately inform critical mission areas. Data can also play vital roles in supporting global efforts by members and chapters to effect population health changes at national, local and facility levels.

The overall purpose of the strategic plan process is to re-envision specialty care with the goal of optimizing the role of cardiovascular professionals to meet the “Triple Aim” of high quality, appropriate care at the lowest cost. Smartly using data to accomplish organizational goals is one of the key ways we are committed to reaching this goal.
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