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The Tennessee Surgical Quality Collaborative (TSQC) is a partnership between the Tennessee Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, the Tennessee Hospital Association’s Center for Patient Safety, and participating hospitals across the state. Historically, TSQC participation has been limited to hospitals engaged in the ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP). TSQC vision and mission are to identify and share best surgical practices, understand how surgical teams achieve optimal outcomes, and improve care for all surgical patients through open discussion, information sharing, and a collaborative team approach.
TSQC is excited to announce that it is expanding in 2026. This expansion will welcome THA member hospitals not currently participating in NSQIP through a new tiered participation approach. The tiered approach introduces three levels of involvement:
THA Member Hospitals participating at this level shall be eligible to attend TSQC educational sessions. Hospitals may voluntarily submit, or utilize, aggregate data currently collected and submitted by all Tennessee hospitals to THA, including but not limited to claims data, NHSN data, and PSI-90 measures. Participating hospitals will also have the opportunity to contribute to the identification, design, and development of TSQC quality improvement projects and programming.
In addition to the Tier 3 commitments, hospitals participating as Tier 2 members shall designate a Surgeon Champion to serve as a facilitator and to actively engage in TSQC quality improvement initiatives. Each participating facility shall identify one (1) Surgeon Champion who will be eligible to receive the THA Surgeon Grant and to be eligible to serve on the TSQC Clinical Leadership Committee.
In addition to fulfilling all Tier 2 responsibilities, hospitals participating as Tier 1 members shall enroll and actively participate in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP). Hospitals at this level may be eligible to receive THA grants to support hospital costs associated with maintaining a Surgical Clinical Reviewer (SCR) and/or annual NSQIP contractual agreements. Tier 1 reflects the highest level of commitment to TSQC, including participation in quality research projects and active engagement with the TSQC Clinical Leadership Committee.
If you have any questions about joining the collaborative or would like to discuss your hospital’s participation level, contact Rachel Goodman and Karizma Whitfield to schedule a meeting to review the details.