Newswise — BETHESDA, MD, February 13, 2017 – Glenn M. Eisen, MD, MPH, FACG, FASGE, is now the President and Chair of the Board of Directors of the GI Quality Improvement Consortium (GIQuIC), a national endoscopic registry and clinical benchmarking tool for gastroenterologists. Dr. Eisen assumes this role from Irving M. Pike, MD, FACG, FASGE, who is President-Elect of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG). GIQuIC is a joint initiative of ACG and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) which fosters the ability of endoscopists and endoscopy facilities to benchmark themselves, and provides impetus for quality improvement.
“I am very excited about taking on a new role for GIQuIC. Dr. Irving Pike has done a tremendous job in the creation and development of this leading GI endoscopy registry since its inception in 2009,” said Dr. Eisen, who has served on the GIQuIC Board of Directors for seven years.
The registry has grown by leaps and bounds and now includes data from over 500 facilities that represent more than 4,000 practicing endoscopists. Recently, the registry reached a milestone of four million colonoscopies reported.
Dr. Eisen commented on the evolution of GIQuIC to reflect the changing medical and economic landscape, “The registry was originally developed to advance quality and enable benchmarking in our field including all practice types. It has grown to serve our members as our practices and payment models have evolved. CMS has endorsed GIQuIC as a Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) since it created the QCDR reporting option, and many of our members use GIQuIC to meet payment requirements for the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS).”
GIQuIC Dataset a Resource for ResearchersThe GIQuIC registry is now able to serve as a research tool and to continue advancement of benchmarking in endoscopy. GIQuIC recently promulgated new Research Policies and Procedures and invited applications from investigators for access to the registry dataset. With more than four million colonoscopy procedures and over 500,000 EGD procedures documented, this vast dataset constitutes an invaluable resource for practice benchmarking and now will provide an excellent opportunity for investigators interested in gastrointestinal endoscopy research.
The Future of GIQuIC In the future, GIQuIC plans to include further endoscopy modules and to capture non-endoscopic clinical measures and facility-based metrics. The ultimate goal is to be a resource for measuring and improving the quality of digestive health care, and to improve quality outcomes for all patients.
About GIQuIC Quality MeasuresMore than 12 colonoscopy quality measures are benchmarked by GIQuIC, including adenoma detection rate, rate of cecal intubation, adherence to appropriate screening and surveillance intervals, prep assessment, and appropriate indications for procedure, among others. Quality metrics for upper GI endoscopy (EGD) procedures are also collected in the GIQuIC registry. These measures reflect the best science and evidence base for the performance of endoscopic procedures.
About GIQuIC The GI Quality Improvement Consortium, Ltd. (GIQuIC) is an educational and scientific 501(c)(3) organization established by gastroenterologists, physicians specializing in digestive disorders. GIQuIC is a joint initiative of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). GIQuIC has developed and utilized various measurements of the endoscopic techniques of practicing gastroenterologists, a process referred to as benchmarking. These measures reflect the best science and evidence base for the performance of endoscopic procedures. This national benchmarking project began by measuring data related to common endoscopic procedures employed by gastroenterologists. Endoscopy is a minimally invasive medical procedure that is used to assess the digestive system organs by inserting a tube orally into a patient's stomach or rectally into the patient’s colon. The physician founders of GIQuIC believe that the scientific measurement of the quality of endoscopic procedures will improve the quality of the medical care being given to patients throughout the United States and abroad, and ultimately will improve the quality of public health. For more information about the GIQuIC registry, visit www.giquic.org.
About the American College of Gastroenterology Founded in 1932, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) is an organization with an international membership of more than 14,000 individuals from 85 countries. The College is committed to serving the clinically oriented digestive disease specialist through its emphasis on scholarly practice, teaching and research. The mission of the College is to serve the evolving needs of physicians in the delivery of high-quality, scientifically sound, humanistic, ethical, and cost-effective health care to gastroenterology patients. For more information, visit www.gi.org.
About the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Since its founding in 1941, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) has been dedicated to advancing patient care and digestive health by promoting excellence and innovation in gastrointestinal endoscopy. ASGE, with more than 14,000 members worldwide, promotes the highest standards for endoscopic training and practice, fosters endoscopic research, recognizes distinguished contributions to endoscopy, and is the foremost resource for endoscopic education. Visit www.asge.org and www.screen4coloncancer.org for more information and to find a qualified doctor in your area.
RSS