SCAI Publishes Statement on Improving Quality Standards

March 1, 2011—The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) announced the publication of recommendations for assessing and improving quality in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) programs at cardiac facilities. The statement was drafted by Lloyd W. Klein, MD, et al and published online ahead of print in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions.

The document offers guidance regarding core measures for quality and assessment in PCI programs and is a tool for interventional cardiologists to use in their ongoing focus on improving patient care. The document is the first of a twopart statement developed by SCAI to address quality assessment and improvement in interventional cardiology. The second part of the statement is scheduled for publication in the spring of 2011 and will address public reporting, risk adjustment, and the role of volume as an indicator for quality of care.

According to SCAI, in an era of health reform, where institutions may soon adopt a “pay-for-performance” model, defined measures of quality have become an increasingly relevant need for PCI programs. The current statement better defines the established set of core quality measures and assessments for institutions with continuous quality improvement (CQI) programs, advised SCAI.

The statement emphasizes the need for every PCI program to establish a cardiac catheterization laboratory CQI committee that is dedicated specifically to quality performance, is lead by an experienced and respected interventional cardiologist, and is supported by hospital resources. The committee's task is to measure and assess quality based on three basic principles: the structure of the system; the processes involved for improving results; and the outcomes achieved. The statement also highlights multiple recommendations for evaluating PCI quality.