This post was authored by John S. Rumsfeld, MD, PhD, FACC, chief science officer of the ACC’s NCDR.

NCDR.14 kicked off today, bringing together nearly 1,000 registry professionals, physicians, cardiovascular administrators and other quality professionals to Washington, DC two days prior to ACC.14.

As in years past, session topics were chosen to cover the latest registry updates and issues central to registry participation. This year, however, we are diving even deeper into the data and its uses. The goal is to help physicians and administrators better understand their registry data and how they can leverage it for quality improvement, maintenance of certification (MOC) and public reporting. In an effort to help bring physicians and administrators to the forefront of their registry participation, the conference offers a full line-up of sessions geared specifically toward this audience.

With consumers, industry and policymakers increasingly looking to quantify outcomes, improve care and lower health care costs, engaging physicians in their registry programs is more important now than ever before. Active physician engagement can help ensure data quality, broader use and interpretation of outcomes reports and improvements in the delivery of care.

To this end, the conference was expanded last year to offer education and development for every member of the quality team. General sessions as well as breakout sessions geared toward physicians and administrators provide the foundation for NCDR participation to be approached as a team effort.

Of course, nothing illustrates the positive results of this team effort better than a visit to the NCDR.14 poster hall. This year, 30 posters are on display, each representing a success story based on NCDR data. From registry-based education initiatives, efforts to improve adherence to guidelines and process changes, these posters speak to the opportunities for real-life application of registry data and proven best practices.

As NCDR.14 draws to close tomorrow, it is my hope that physicians, administrators and registry professionals will return to their hospitals with a deeper understanding of their data and a plan for applying it to improve the quality of care provided.

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