ACS NSQIP Participation Fee

The $35,000 annual fee paid to the American College of Surgeons includes the following:

• A Web-based data entry, monitoring, and reporting system
• Data verification and encryption
• Continuously updated online reports and benchmarking analysis
• Semiannual reports of risk-adjusted outcomes
• Four hours per month of data analysis for ad hoc specialized reports
• MS Access database of site-specific data
• Inter-Rater Reliability (IRR) data audit and site visit
• Expert program support staff to assist each site with:

Formal training program in the first year of program participation and weekly conference calls and case studies to reinforce learning and monitor understanding

Online training and testing with the award of continuing education credits for SCNRs

Continual access to clinical support team

Continual access to IT support and troubleshooting

• Data automation and technical support services; data that reside in electronic systems at the hospital can be automatically sent to ACS NSQIP Data Automation Overview
• Nurse Workstation software to help SCNRs mange their work process SCNR Workstation Overview
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Surgical Care Improvement Program (SCIP) Module

Additional Nurse Fee

ACS NSQIP participation provides training and clinical support for one SCNR. A hospital may require additional SCNRs for a variety of reasongs including but not limited to: meeting the case volume requirements, enhancing quality improvement initiatives utilizing ACS NSQIP data, or assigning data collections responsibilities to more than one SCNR. Additional nurses may be trained and supported by the program for an annual fee of $8,900 per nurse that includes:

• Continuous training, including initial training and online learning modules
• Continuous monitoring for the quality and timeliness of the data being submitted to the program
• Online training and testing with the award of continuing education credits for the SCNRs
• Log on and access to all data entry and online reporting functionality
• Nurse Workstation software and updates
• Log in and access to all weekly conference calls and special topic guest speakers
• Continual access to clinical suport team
• Continual access to IT support and troubleshooting
• Ability to request ad hoc reports on behalf of the participating site
• Participation in the IRR audit and a copy of results and recommendations

Other Fees to Consider

• Additional Training Sessions

  A hospital may train a replacement or backup SCNR, as well as non-nurse staff such as quality managers, data analysts, and program coordinators, for a one-time fee of $2,500 per individual trained. Any nurse that will be abstracting or entering data into the program database must successfully complete the training and testing programs.

• Additional IRR Audits

  ACS NSQIP conducts an Inter-Rater Reliability (IRR) data audit and hospital visit within the first nine months of participation and every other year thereafter. It is the expectation of ACS NSQIP that each hospital has a disagreement rate of five percent or less to pass an audit and a documented rate of successful follow-up in compliance with the policies and procedures of the program. If a hospital does not pass, the hospital may be required to have another audit within three to six months of the failed audit. The cost for an additional audit is $3,500.

• Travel Costs

  Hospitals are responsible for travel costs for the SCNRs to attend the initial training session and the Annual ACS NSQIP National Conference

• Cancellation Fees

  Hospitals must submit a cancellation notice for any individual registered for a nurse training session, but who is unable to attend the session. Cancellation notice must be received by the registration deadline, or cancellation fees will apply.