JPS Health Network has been recognized as one of the first five hospitals in the country to be verified under the American College of Surgeons' Emergency General Surgery Verification Program (EGS-VP). The program, launched in September 2022, aims to help hospitals maintain the highest emergency general surgery standards.
The verification process has highlighted the importance of prioritizing the care of patients with emergency general surgery diseases such as bad skin infections, gallbladder disease, intestine backup, and pancreatitis. While traumatic injuries differ from these conditions, they require the same immediate attention.
"The EGS program has a dedicated set of standards that offer a guiding structure for advancing quality and care across the EGS service line," said Danielle Sherar, Executive Director of Trauma Services. "EGS programs must have the right infrastructure and processes to support the standards. They must collect and analyze data to measure performance and utilize it for quality initiatives."
According to the American College of Surgeons, hospitals are required to prioritize a triaged approach to patient care across all levels of need, recognize the value of clinically relevant EGS data for quality improvement, and implement a multi-disciplinary approach to care and quality. Emergency general surgery is one of the most common hospital procedures, so this verification proves JPS's commitment to providing exceptional patient care in all areas.
“Quality programs have been proven to reduce morbidity and mortality in Trauma and other areas. Centers that have increased volumes of EGS, like JPS, have better outcomes with such programs,” Dr. Raj R. Gandhi, Medical Director of Trauma Services said.
JPS continues to prove its commitment to patient care by setting higher standards with each opportunity to advance its treatment to ensure our patients receive the best comprehensive care.
"Receiving this recognition is a great honor for us and demonstrates our dedication to providing exceptional healthcare to our patients in the JPS community," Dr. Gandhi said. "We want our patients to feel reassured that we are capable of treating even the most complex cases and that we are continuously improving the treatment of our patients."