Since its inception, the ACC's annual conference for NCDR registry participants has focused on a wide range of registry-related topics such as data accuracy and quality, relevant health care trends and the application of registry data for quality improvement, but in recent years, the curriculum has expanded to include physicians and administrators. Held March 12 – 13, NCDR.15 was an opportunity for physicians and administrators involved in ACC registries to further their knowledge about the use of data for quality improvement.

NCDR.15 brought together more than 1,200 registry professionals, quality experts, cardiovascular administrators and physicians from across the country for two days of registry-focused training, quality improvement discussions, networking and the sharing of best practices.

Building on two years of success with targeted workshops for physicians and cardiovascular administrators, NCDR.15 featured even more sessions with special emphasis placed on preparing physicians and administrators to take a more active role in their clinical registry programs – and in turn, in their quality improvement efforts. Attendees gained a better understanding of how to use NCDR data to meet regulatory reporting requirements, conduct quality improvement and obtain Maintenance of Certification Part IV points for physicians.

The conference opened with a keynote presentation from John Spertus, MD, MPH, FACC, on engaging physicians in quality improvement. Additional general sessions included a presentation on managing data quality and the closing session, "No Reservations – Disruptive Innovation," delivered by Harlan Krumholz, MD, SM, FACC. Throughout both days, concurrent workshops provided registry-specific education on difficult data elements, metrics, quality improvement efforts and more. Workshops for each registry included deep dives into expanded uses for data and interpreting outcome reports, while physician and administrator-focused breakout sessions covered topics such as engaging fellow physicians and administrators, optimizing data quality, implementing quality improvement and the future of clinical registries and electronic health records.

For more information about NCDR or NCDR.15, visit ACC.org/NCDR15. Also be sure to check out the NCDR abstracts and special NCDR sessions being presented as part of ACC.15. Search "NCDR" in the ACC.15 App for a complete list.

A large, enthusiastic crowd at the NCDR.15 Opening Session. ACC CEO, Shal Jacobovitz, welcomes the NCDR.15 attendees. John Spertus, MD, MPH, FACC, opens the NCDR.15 Annual Conference with a keynote presentation..

“This year’s NCDR Annual Conference focused on advancing meaningful performance improvement,” said John S. Rumsfeld, MD, PhD, FACC, chief science officer of the NCDR. “By focusing on topics that help entire registry teams drive forward with their data, it is our hope that physicians, administrators and registry professionals left the conference with a better understanding of their data and a plan for working together to achieve their quality goals.”

Keywords: ACC Annual Scientific Session, National Cardiovascular Data Registries, Certification, Curriculum, Electronic Health Records, Quality Improvement, Registries, Research Design

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