News

Announcements:

New Combined Pre/Postoperative PRO's in Resources: English, Spanish and Portuguese Versions

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Patient Optimization for Hernia Surgery: Does the Data Support It?

Clayton Petro, MD, from the Cleveland Clinic Center for Abdominal Core Health discusses the latest thinking and somewhat surprising research on the outcomes of pre-optimizing patients for hernia surgery.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INTERVIEW

Coding Update for Abdominal Wall Reconstruction

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE CODING UPDATE PUBLICATION

The ACHQC is proud to announce a coding update for the performance of abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR), recently published in the journal Hernia.  This update defines abdominal wall reconstruction and clarifies the coding for performance of Rives-Stoppa retrorectus repairs.  Importantly, the publication clearly states that AWR coding should be applied based on myofascial releases performed, regardless of approach (open, laparoscopic, or robotic-assisted).  We hope this document can clarify current ambiguities in AWR coding and can be used as a resource by coding professionals, surgeons, hospitals, and professional societies. The publication itself represents an innovation in coding by utilizing real world data to justify the updates.  We wish to thank all the members of the ACHQC for your continued support to make high impact publications like this possible.  The publication is available free of charge using the above link.
 

Effective July 1, 2020: The AHSQC will transform and merge into the “Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative Foundation” (ACHQC)

Our new Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative branding embodies our holistic approach of utilizing real world data across interrelated specialties to improve the continuum of care of patients requiring surgical treatment of abdominal core disorders. ACHQC surgeons care for abdominal core conditions beyond hernias and, importantly, our new name acknowledges the role we play as part of a comprehensive care team dedicated to enhancing and supporting the long term health and quality of life of our patients.  In discussions with patients who come to us wanting to focus on health and not dwell on disease, the concept of abdominal core health resonates positively. 

While our name has changed, from an organizational perspective, much remains the same: 

  • Operationally, the ACHQC registry, user-friendly data entry, analytics reporting and dashboards are unaffected
  • The current Executive team will continue to drive the organization forward
  • The ACHQC remains a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization 
  • Existing contractual agreements remain intact

Over the remaining months in 2020, you will continue to see the evolution of the AHSQC into the ACHQC with our new logo, updated website and enhanced patient resources.   Additionally, from time to time you will receive notices of new information pertaining to the ACHQC and our initiatives.

Since our inception in 2013, the QC has seen tremendous growth, hitting multiple milestones along the way. Our registry now includes information on over 65,000 patients from 425 surgeons across the country who, collectively donate thousands of hours to the Collaborative each year. We continually seek to understand and improve the patient experience and freely share meaningful resources with patients and care teams. These include 48 peer reviewed publications, the QC mobile app, Abdominal Core Surgery Patient and Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Guides, and informational handouts used to educate patients on the risk of opioids and offer alternative pain management options following abdominal surgery.  

We are excited to continue our work and look forward to raising awareness of the importance of abdominal core health through our efforts. On behalf of the entire ACHQC Foundation Board, thank you to our patients, surgeons, participating institutions and practices, FDA colleagues and Foundation Partners who share our vision and continue to invest their time and resources in support of our endeavors. 

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