Revitalized leadership conference motivates members to redefine roles and responsibilities

"The goal of this portion of the meeting is to renew our pledge to each other as leaders," said David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, Executive Director of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) in his opening remarks at the second annual Leadership Conference, April 13-14, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, DC.

The 2013 Leadership Conference—held in conjunction with the Advocacy Summit—drew 308 attendees from all levels of ACS leadership, including Regents, Governors, Advisory Council members, and Chapter leaders.

A "recommitment to ACS leadership goals" was a central message of this year’s conference, according to Patricia L. Turner, MD, FACS, Director, ACS Division of Member Services. Part of this re-energized focus included the unveiling of a new and expanded list of ACS Board of Governors (B/G) duties presented by Lena M. Napolitano, MD, FACS, Chair of the B/G. These new expectations, including mandatory attendance at future Leadership Conference and Advocacy Summit meetings, are intended to enhance "bi-directional communication between the Board of Governors and their constituents," explained Dr. Napolitano.

A new interactive component of the meeting fostered relationship-building among colleagues, as participants convened by geographic location to identify areas for synergy and unity in addressing common challenges. A representative from each breakout session presented the findings to the group-at-large. Common themes to emerge from these breakout sessions included a need for increased communication among chapter members, enhanced member engagement, and a desire for professional development training.

Roles and responsibilities

Other conference sessions covered a spectrum of topics tethered to the meeting’s leadership theme. A session on Roles and Responsibilities focused on the functions of ACS Regents, Governors, Chapters, and Advisory Council Chairs.

Julie A. Freischlag, MD, FACS, Chair of the Board of Regents, outlined the "Top 10 Things a Regent Should Do," including "attend Regents’ meetings, prepare for and talk at Regent meetings, and communicate to your group about the ACS."

Dr. Napolitano summarized the enhanced duties of the B/G. "The Governors act as a liaison between the Board of Regents and the Fellows and as a clearinghouse for the Regents on general assigned subjects and on local problems," she said, quoting the College Bylaws.

"Our mission is to bring the voice of the Fellows forward so that the Regents can make important decisions," explained Dr. Napolitano.

John P. Rioux, MD, FACS, Chair of the Board of Governors National Chapter Workgroup, outlined the key duties of the Chapter Officers, and underscored the importance of developing a strategic plan. "Develop an operational plan, assign tasks with established timelines, and develop measures of success necessary to fully implement the strategic plan," he advised.

Finally, E. Christopher Ellison, MD, FACS, Chair, Advisory Council for General Surgery, and Chair, Advisory Council Chairs presented an overview of the ACS Advisory Councils for the Surgical Specialties. "Since the founding of the College, surgical specialties have been closely integrated into all College activities," observed Dr. Ellison, noting that ACS Advisory Councils for Surgical Specialties:

• Serve as a liaison between the surgical societies and the Regents

• Advise the Regents on policy matters relating to their specialties

• Nominate Fellows from the surgical specialties to serve on College committees

• Provide specialty input on the development of general and specialty sessions for the Clinical Congress

Review of ACS Infrastructure

The Leadership Conference’s second block of meetings featured presentations by ACS staff members and others on key areas of the College. "This next section of the agenda is a review of the infrastructure of the American College of Surgeons and highlights the offerings of each division," explained Dr. Turner.

Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, Director, ACS Division of Education, underscored the division’s "special focus on the two ends of residency training—the transition from medical school to surgery residency and the transition from training to independent surgical practice." The College publication titled Successfully Navigating the First Year of Surgical Residency lists the critical cognitive, clinical, and technical skills needed for the first year of residency training.

In an effort to assist residents who are concerned about moving into independent surgical practice, the Division of Education has introduced the new ACS Transition to Practice Program in General Surgery initiative.

The program is taking place in several underserved regions and is designed to help residents:

Obtain more autonomous experience in general surgery, increase their clinical competence, learn about practice management, connect with mentors, and participate in experiential learning.

Dr. Sachdeva also unveiled the ACS Division of Education’s new tagline, "Blended Surgical Education and Training for Life," which describes the department’s ongoing mission of promoting "excellence and expertise in surgery through innovative education, training, verification, validation, and accreditation."

Dr. Turner noted the Member Services Division is responsible for processing applications; facilitating member recruitment and retention; providing staff support to the Board of Governors, the Advisory Councils, the Young Fellows Association, the Residents and Associates Society, Operation Giving Back, and several ACS committees All of these areas, provide an opportunity for enhanced member engagement, added Dr. Turner.

Dr. Turner urged conference attendees—and their constituents—to complete their member profiles. Dr. Turner strives to implement "substantive use of existing member data to drive marketing and increase value to our Fellows." Thousands of patients use the College’s ‘find-a-surgeon’ feature on the website," she added in a post-conference interview.

Christian Shalgian, Director, ACS Division of Advocacy and Health Policy, outlined the College’s priority legislative and regulatory issues, including: Medicare physician payment, quality care initiatives, graduate medical education and workforce challenges, and medical liability reform.

Mr. Shalgian said the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, which is used to calculate physician payment, could be replaced with the Value-Based Update, a proposal developed by the ACS that better reflects accurate health care costs and would factor in the quality of care physicians deliver based on measures that are meaningful to both patients and surgeons.

The ACS has developed the framework for this proposal, and now we need to add data and modeling," he said. To this end, the College has partnered with researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, and Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

Mr. Shalgian highlighted strategies for effective advocacy and unveiled a new grassroots Advocacy and Health Policy initiative titled "ACS—SurgeonsVoice," which he described as an "ongoing, organized program of recruiting, educating, and motivating members to use their political power to advocate and influence."

"Dr. Dr. Hoyt outlined four "guiding principles of continuous quality improvement": standards (validated by research and data, nationally benchmarked); infrastructure (including proper staffing levels, checklists, and information technology); rigorous data (including post-discharge tracking and continuously updated, real-time measurement); and verification (external peer-review).

He also noted the release of a limited edition book titled Inspiring Quality Tour: Lessons Learned in the Pursuit of Quality Surgical Health Care, which summarizes the 18-month effort to generate a national dialogue about surgical quality and patient safety through a series of ACS Surgical Health Care Quality Forums.

"My message to you today is that we are at a critical time right now when it comes to advocating for the right kind of quality improvement," he said.

Dr. Napolitano provided an overview of the B/G committee reorganization, summarizing the goals of the board’s five pillars—Member Services, Education, Advocacy/Health Policy, Quality-Research/Optimal Patient Care, and Communication— modeled after the Divisions of the College.

B/G "Leads" for each pillar are as follows:

• Member Services Pillar: Fabrizio Michelassi, MD, FACS

• Education Pillar: Lorrie Langdale, MD, FACS

• Advocacy and Health Policy Pillar: Jim Denneny, MD, FACS

• Quality-Research/Optimal Patient Care Pillar: Sherry Wren, MD, FACS

• Communication Pillar: Gary Timmerman, MD, FACS

Challenges in leadership

Mark C. Weissler, MD, FACS, Vice-Chair, Board of Regents; Dr. Timmerman, Vice-Chair Board of Governors; and Mary E. Fallat, MD, FACS, Chair, Advisory Council for Pediatric Surgery, presented at the Challenges in Leadership session.

"The core purpose of the ACS is to maintain the professional core of surgery in North America," said Dr. Weissler. "Surgery is increasingly subspecialized and if we want to remain the umbrella organization and maintain membership, we must remain inclusive and cater to a variety of needs."

Dr. Timmerman outlined the qualities of a strong leader. "The best leaders are the best listeners, are humble servants, and [engage in] volunteerism," said Dr. Timmerman.

Dr. Fallat described challenges surgeons typically face, particularly those in leadership positions, including "volume of information, time constraints, ability to absorb content, and ability to extract what is important for all surgeons, as well as what is important for the specialty."

Improving involvement

The final session of the conference focused on enhancing member engagement.

S. Rob Todd, MD, FACS, Chair, Member Services Workgroup, Young Fellows Association, described the advantages of College membership for young Fellows and ACS leaders, particularly in leadership development.

Steven L. Chen, MD, FACS, Chair, Education Workgroup, Young Fellows Association encouraged attendees to apply to become either a mentor or mentee, as both roles can lead to increased involvement with the College.

David W. Dexter, MD, FACS, member, ACS Northwest Pennsylvania Chapter, offered strategies for stimulating chapter growth and member engagement "Successful chapters, he said, "sustain membership, involve and recruit young surgeons, are marked by member enthusiasm, feature strong administrative leadership, and promote ACS programs," Dr. Dexter said.

Several factors affect Chapters’ financial sustainability, added Dr. Dexter, including an aging membership, decreases in enrollment, increasing costs, decreasing vendor support, mergers, and consolidation of vendors. He urged attendees to "take financial control of your chapter."

Breakout sessions

Attendees were organized into specific groups by state or region to discuss issues of mutual concern.

Questions raised at the breakout sessions included:

What one ACS initiative or event can be planned in your area over the next 12 months that will support or enhance the practice, patient care, financial well-being, or engagement of your local surgeons?

Of what accomplishment by your local community of surgeons are you most proud?

What topics would you like to see covered at the Leadership Conference next year?

Several common goals emerged, including:

• Increased communication among chapter members

• More member engagement

• Professional development training

• Leadership skills training

• Bringing Quality Forum tour to states that have not hosted a forum up to this point

Member Services staff are compiling the information presented in the Breakout Session reports and will provide a summary later this year.

Mr. Peregrin is the Senior Editor of the Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons.

"The goal of this portion of the meeting is to renew our pledge to each other as leaders," said David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, Executive Director of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) in his opening remarks at the second annual Leadership Conference, April 13-14, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, DC.

The 2013 Leadership Conference—held in conjunction with the Advocacy Summit—drew 308 attendees from all levels of ACS leadership, including Regents, Governors, Advisory Council members, and Chapter leaders.

A "recommitment to ACS leadership goals" was a central message of this year’s conference, according to Patricia L. Turner, MD, FACS, Director, ACS Division of Member Services. Part of this re-energized focus included the unveiling of a new and expanded list of ACS Board of Governors (B/G) duties presented by Lena M. Napolitano, MD, FACS, Chair of the B/G. These new expectations, including mandatory attendance at future Leadership Conference and Advocacy Summit meetings, are intended to enhance "bi-directional communication between the Board of Governors and their constituents," explained Dr. Napolitano.

A new interactive component of the meeting fostered relationship-building among colleagues, as participants convened by geographic location to identify areas for synergy and unity in addressing common challenges. A representative from each breakout session presented the findings to the group-at-large. Common themes to emerge from these breakout sessions included a need for increased communication among chapter members, enhanced member engagement, and a desire for professional development training.

Roles and responsibilities

Other conference sessions covered a spectrum of topics tethered to the meeting’s leadership theme. A session on Roles and Responsibilities focused on the functions of ACS Regents, Governors, Chapters, and Advisory Council Chairs.

Julie A. Freischlag, MD, FACS, Chair of the Board of Regents, outlined the "Top 10 Things a Regent Should Do," including "attend Regents’ meetings, prepare for and talk at Regent meetings, and communicate to your group about the ACS."

Dr. Napolitano summarized the enhanced duties of the B/G. "The Governors act as a liaison between the Board of Regents and the Fellows and as a clearinghouse for the Regents on general assigned subjects and on local problems," she said, quoting the College Bylaws.

"Our mission is to bring the voice of the Fellows forward so that the Regents can make important decisions," explained Dr. Napolitano.

John P. Rioux, MD, FACS, Chair of the Board of Governors National Chapter Workgroup, outlined the key duties of the Chapter Officers, and underscored the importance of developing a strategic plan. "Develop an operational plan, assign tasks with established timelines, and develop measures of success necessary to fully implement the strategic plan," he advised.

Finally, E. Christopher Ellison, MD, FACS, Chair, Advisory Council for General Surgery, and Chair, Advisory Council Chairs presented an overview of the ACS Advisory Councils for the Surgical Specialties. "Since the founding of the College, surgical specialties have been closely integrated into all College activities," observed Dr. Ellison, noting that ACS Advisory Councils for Surgical Specialties:

• Serve as a liaison between the surgical societies and the Regents

• Advise the Regents on policy matters relating to their specialties

• Nominate Fellows from the surgical specialties to serve on College committees

• Provide specialty input on the development of general and specialty sessions for the Clinical Congress

Review of ACS Infrastructure

The Leadership Conference’s second block of meetings featured presentations by ACS staff members and others on key areas of the College. "This next section of the agenda is a review of the infrastructure of the American College of Surgeons and highlights the offerings of each division," explained Dr. Turner.

Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, Director, ACS Division of Education, underscored the division’s "special focus on the two ends of residency training—the transition from medical school to surgery residency and the transition from training to independent surgical practice." The College publication titled Successfully Navigating the First Year of Surgical Residency lists the critical cognitive, clinical, and technical skills needed for the first year of residency training.

In an effort to assist residents who are concerned about moving into independent surgical practice, the Division of Education has introduced the new ACS Transition to Practice Program in General Surgery initiative.

The program is taking place in several underserved regions and is designed to help residents:

Obtain more autonomous experience in general surgery, increase their clinical competence, learn about practice management, connect with mentors, and participate in experiential learning.

Dr. Sachdeva also unveiled the ACS Division of Education’s new tagline, "Blended Surgical Education and Training for Life," which describes the department’s ongoing mission of promoting "excellence and expertise in surgery through innovative education, training, verification, validation, and accreditation."

Dr. Turner noted the Member Services Division is responsible for processing applications; facilitating member recruitment and retention; providing staff support to the Board of Governors, the Advisory Councils, the Young Fellows Association, the Residents and Associates Society, Operation Giving Back, and several ACS committees All of these areas, provide an opportunity for enhanced member engagement, added Dr. Turner.

Dr. Turner urged conference attendees—and their constituents—to complete their member profiles. Dr. Turner strives to implement "substantive use of existing member data to drive marketing and increase value to our Fellows." Thousands of patients use the College’s ‘find-a-surgeon’ feature on the website," she added in a post-conference interview.

Christian Shalgian, Director, ACS Division of Advocacy and Health Policy, outlined the College’s priority legislative and regulatory issues, including: Medicare physician payment, quality care initiatives, graduate medical education and workforce challenges, and medical liability reform.

Mr. Shalgian said the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, which is used to calculate physician payment, could be replaced with the Value-Based Update, a proposal developed by the ACS that better reflects accurate health care costs and would factor in the quality of care physicians deliver based on measures that are meaningful to both patients and surgeons.

The ACS has developed the framework for this proposal, and now we need to add data and modeling," he said. To this end, the College has partnered with researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, and Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

Mr. Shalgian highlighted strategies for effective advocacy and unveiled a new grassroots Advocacy and Health Policy initiative titled "ACS—SurgeonsVoice," which he described as an "ongoing, organized program of recruiting, educating, and motivating members to use their political power to advocate and influence."

"Dr. Dr. Hoyt outlined four "guiding principles of continuous quality improvement": standards (validated by research and data, nationally benchmarked); infrastructure (including proper staffing levels, checklists, and information technology); rigorous data (including post-discharge tracking and continuously updated, real-time measurement); and verification (external peer-review).

He also noted the release of a limited edition book titled Inspiring Quality Tour: Lessons Learned in the Pursuit of Quality Surgical Health Care, which summarizes the 18-month effort to generate a national dialogue about surgical quality and patient safety through a series of ACS Surgical Health Care Quality Forums.

"My message to you today is that we are at a critical time right now when it comes to advocating for the right kind of quality improvement," he said.

Dr. Napolitano provided an overview of the B/G committee reorganization, summarizing the goals of the board’s five pillars—Member Services, Education, Advocacy/Health Policy, Quality-Research/Optimal Patient Care, and Communication— modeled after the Divisions of the College.

B/G "Leads" for each pillar are as follows:

• Member Services Pillar: Fabrizio Michelassi, MD, FACS

• Education Pillar: Lorrie Langdale, MD, FACS

• Advocacy and Health Policy Pillar: Jim Denneny, MD, FACS

• Quality-Research/Optimal Patient Care Pillar: Sherry Wren, MD, FACS

• Communication Pillar: Gary Timmerman, MD, FACS

Challenges in leadership

Mark C. Weissler, MD, FACS, Vice-Chair, Board of Regents; Dr. Timmerman, Vice-Chair Board of Governors; and Mary E. Fallat, MD, FACS, Chair, Advisory Council for Pediatric Surgery, presented at the Challenges in Leadership session.

"The core purpose of the ACS is to maintain the professional core of surgery in North America," said Dr. Weissler. "Surgery is increasingly subspecialized and if we want to remain the umbrella organization and maintain membership, we must remain inclusive and cater to a variety of needs."

Dr. Timmerman outlined the qualities of a strong leader. "The best leaders are the best listeners, are humble servants, and [engage in] volunteerism," said Dr. Timmerman.

Dr. Fallat described challenges surgeons typically face, particularly those in leadership positions, including "volume of information, time constraints, ability to absorb content, and ability to extract what is important for all surgeons, as well as what is important for the specialty."

Improving involvement

The final session of the conference focused on enhancing member engagement.

S. Rob Todd, MD, FACS, Chair, Member Services Workgroup, Young Fellows Association, described the advantages of College membership for young Fellows and ACS leaders, particularly in leadership development.

Steven L. Chen, MD, FACS, Chair, Education Workgroup, Young Fellows Association encouraged attendees to apply to become either a mentor or mentee, as both roles can lead to increased involvement with the College.

David W. Dexter, MD, FACS, member, ACS Northwest Pennsylvania Chapter, offered strategies for stimulating chapter growth and member engagement "Successful chapters, he said, "sustain membership, involve and recruit young surgeons, are marked by member enthusiasm, feature strong administrative leadership, and promote ACS programs," Dr. Dexter said.

Several factors affect Chapters’ financial sustainability, added Dr. Dexter, including an aging membership, decreases in enrollment, increasing costs, decreasing vendor support, mergers, and consolidation of vendors. He urged attendees to "take financial control of your chapter."

Breakout sessions

Attendees were organized into specific groups by state or region to discuss issues of mutual concern.

Questions raised at the breakout sessions included:

What one ACS initiative or event can be planned in your area over the next 12 months that will support or enhance the practice, patient care, financial well-being, or engagement of your local surgeons?

Of what accomplishment by your local community of surgeons are you most proud?

What topics would you like to see covered at the Leadership Conference next year?

Several common goals emerged, including:

• Increased communication among chapter members

• More member engagement

• Professional development training

• Leadership skills training

• Bringing Quality Forum tour to states that have not hosted a forum up to this point

Member Services staff are compiling the information presented in the Breakout Session reports and will provide a summary later this year.

Mr. Peregrin is the Senior Editor of the Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons.

"The goal of this portion of the meeting is to renew our pledge to each other as leaders," said David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, Executive Director of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) in his opening remarks at the second annual Leadership Conference, April 13-14, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, DC.

The 2013 Leadership Conference—held in conjunction with the Advocacy Summit—drew 308 attendees from all levels of ACS leadership, including Regents, Governors, Advisory Council members, and Chapter leaders.

A "recommitment to ACS leadership goals" was a central message of this year’s conference, according to Patricia L. Turner, MD, FACS, Director, ACS Division of Member Services. Part of this re-energized focus included the unveiling of a new and expanded list of ACS Board of Governors (B/G) duties presented by Lena M. Napolitano, MD, FACS, Chair of the B/G. These new expectations, including mandatory attendance at future Leadership Conference and Advocacy Summit meetings, are intended to enhance "bi-directional communication between the Board of Governors and their constituents," explained Dr. Napolitano.

A new interactive component of the meeting fostered relationship-building among colleagues, as participants convened by geographic location to identify areas for synergy and unity in addressing common challenges. A representative from each breakout session presented the findings to the group-at-large. Common themes to emerge from these breakout sessions included a need for increased communication among chapter members, enhanced member engagement, and a desire for professional development training.

Roles and responsibilities

Other conference sessions covered a spectrum of topics tethered to the meeting’s leadership theme. A session on Roles and Responsibilities focused on the functions of ACS Regents, Governors, Chapters, and Advisory Council Chairs.

Julie A. Freischlag, MD, FACS, Chair of the Board of Regents, outlined the "Top 10 Things a Regent Should Do," including "attend Regents’ meetings, prepare for and talk at Regent meetings, and communicate to your group about the ACS."

Dr. Napolitano summarized the enhanced duties of the B/G. "The Governors act as a liaison between the Board of Regents and the Fellows and as a clearinghouse for the Regents on general assigned subjects and on local problems," she said, quoting the College Bylaws.

"Our mission is to bring the voice of the Fellows forward so that the Regents can make important decisions," explained Dr. Napolitano.

John P. Rioux, MD, FACS, Chair of the Board of Governors National Chapter Workgroup, outlined the key duties of the Chapter Officers, and underscored the importance of developing a strategic plan. "Develop an operational plan, assign tasks with established timelines, and develop measures of success necessary to fully implement the strategic plan," he advised.

Finally, E. Christopher Ellison, MD, FACS, Chair, Advisory Council for General Surgery, and Chair, Advisory Council Chairs presented an overview of the ACS Advisory Councils for the Surgical Specialties. "Since the founding of the College, surgical specialties have been closely integrated into all College activities," observed Dr. Ellison, noting that ACS Advisory Councils for Surgical Specialties:

• Serve as a liaison between the surgical societies and the Regents

• Advise the Regents on policy matters relating to their specialties

• Nominate Fellows from the surgical specialties to serve on College committees

• Provide specialty input on the development of general and specialty sessions for the Clinical Congress

Review of ACS Infrastructure

The Leadership Conference’s second block of meetings featured presentations by ACS staff members and others on key areas of the College. "This next section of the agenda is a review of the infrastructure of the American College of Surgeons and highlights the offerings of each division," explained Dr. Turner.

Ajit K. Sachdeva, MD, FACS, FRCSC, Director, ACS Division of Education, underscored the division’s "special focus on the two ends of residency training—the transition from medical school to surgery residency and the transition from training to independent surgical practice." The College publication titled Successfully Navigating the First Year of Surgical Residency lists the critical cognitive, clinical, and technical skills needed for the first year of residency training.

In an effort to assist residents who are concerned about moving into independent surgical practice, the Division of Education has introduced the new ACS Transition to Practice Program in General Surgery initiative.

The program is taking place in several underserved regions and is designed to help residents:

Obtain more autonomous experience in general surgery, increase their clinical competence, learn about practice management, connect with mentors, and participate in experiential learning.

Dr. Sachdeva also unveiled the ACS Division of Education’s new tagline, "Blended Surgical Education and Training for Life," which describes the department’s ongoing mission of promoting "excellence and expertise in surgery through innovative education, training, verification, validation, and accreditation."

Dr. Turner noted the Member Services Division is responsible for processing applications; facilitating member recruitment and retention; providing staff support to the Board of Governors, the Advisory Councils, the Young Fellows Association, the Residents and Associates Society, Operation Giving Back, and several ACS committees All of these areas, provide an opportunity for enhanced member engagement, added Dr. Turner.

Dr. Turner urged conference attendees—and their constituents—to complete their member profiles. Dr. Turner strives to implement "substantive use of existing member data to drive marketing and increase value to our Fellows." Thousands of patients use the College’s ‘find-a-surgeon’ feature on the website," she added in a post-conference interview.

Christian Shalgian, Director, ACS Division of Advocacy and Health Policy, outlined the College’s priority legislative and regulatory issues, including: Medicare physician payment, quality care initiatives, graduate medical education and workforce challenges, and medical liability reform.

Mr. Shalgian said the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, which is used to calculate physician payment, could be replaced with the Value-Based Update, a proposal developed by the ACS that better reflects accurate health care costs and would factor in the quality of care physicians deliver based on measures that are meaningful to both patients and surgeons.

The ACS has developed the framework for this proposal, and now we need to add data and modeling," he said. To this end, the College has partnered with researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, and Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

Mr. Shalgian highlighted strategies for effective advocacy and unveiled a new grassroots Advocacy and Health Policy initiative titled "ACS—SurgeonsVoice," which he described as an "ongoing, organized program of recruiting, educating, and motivating members to use their political power to advocate and influence."

"Dr. Dr. Hoyt outlined four "guiding principles of continuous quality improvement": standards (validated by research and data, nationally benchmarked); infrastructure (including proper staffing levels, checklists, and information technology); rigorous data (including post-discharge tracking and continuously updated, real-time measurement); and verification (external peer-review).

He also noted the release of a limited edition book titled Inspiring Quality Tour: Lessons Learned in the Pursuit of Quality Surgical Health Care, which summarizes the 18-month effort to generate a national dialogue about surgical quality and patient safety through a series of ACS Surgical Health Care Quality Forums.

"My message to you today is that we are at a critical time right now when it comes to advocating for the right kind of quality improvement," he said.

Dr. Napolitano provided an overview of the B/G committee reorganization, summarizing the goals of the board’s five pillars—Member Services, Education, Advocacy/Health Policy, Quality-Research/Optimal Patient Care, and Communication— modeled after the Divisions of the College.

B/G "Leads" for each pillar are as follows:

• Member Services Pillar: Fabrizio Michelassi, MD, FACS

• Education Pillar: Lorrie Langdale, MD, FACS

• Advocacy and Health Policy Pillar: Jim Denneny, MD, FACS

• Quality-Research/Optimal Patient Care Pillar: Sherry Wren, MD, FACS

• Communication Pillar: Gary Timmerman, MD, FACS

Challenges in leadership

Mark C. Weissler, MD, FACS, Vice-Chair, Board of Regents; Dr. Timmerman, Vice-Chair Board of Governors; and Mary E. Fallat, MD, FACS, Chair, Advisory Council for Pediatric Surgery, presented at the Challenges in Leadership session.

"The core purpose of the ACS is to maintain the professional core of surgery in North America," said Dr. Weissler. "Surgery is increasingly subspecialized and if we want to remain the umbrella organization and maintain membership, we must remain inclusive and cater to a variety of needs."

Dr. Timmerman outlined the qualities of a strong leader. "The best leaders are the best listeners, are humble servants, and [engage in] volunteerism," said Dr. Timmerman.

Dr. Fallat described challenges surgeons typically face, particularly those in leadership positions, including "volume of information, time constraints, ability to absorb content, and ability to extract what is important for all surgeons, as well as what is important for the specialty."

Improving involvement

The final session of the conference focused on enhancing member engagement.

S. Rob Todd, MD, FACS, Chair, Member Services Workgroup, Young Fellows Association, described the advantages of College membership for young Fellows and ACS leaders, particularly in leadership development.

Steven L. Chen, MD, FACS, Chair, Education Workgroup, Young Fellows Association encouraged attendees to apply to become either a mentor or mentee, as both roles can lead to increased involvement with the College.

David W. Dexter, MD, FACS, member, ACS Northwest Pennsylvania Chapter, offered strategies for stimulating chapter growth and member engagement "Successful chapters, he said, "sustain membership, involve and recruit young surgeons, are marked by member enthusiasm, feature strong administrative leadership, and promote ACS programs," Dr. Dexter said.

Several factors affect Chapters’ financial sustainability, added Dr. Dexter, including an aging membership, decreases in enrollment, increasing costs, decreasing vendor support, mergers, and consolidation of vendors. He urged attendees to "take financial control of your chapter."

Breakout sessions

Attendees were organized into specific groups by state or region to discuss issues of mutual concern.

Questions raised at the breakout sessions included:

What one ACS initiative or event can be planned in your area over the next 12 months that will support or enhance the practice, patient care, financial well-being, or engagement of your local surgeons?

Of what accomplishment by your local community of surgeons are you most proud?

What topics would you like to see covered at the Leadership Conference next year?

Several common goals emerged, including:

• Increased communication among chapter members

• More member engagement

• Professional development training

• Leadership skills training

• Bringing Quality Forum tour to states that have not hosted a forum up to this point

Member Services staff are compiling the information presented in the Breakout Session reports and will provide a summary later this year.

Mr. Peregrin is the Senior Editor of the Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons.