The Surgical Infection Prevention (SIP) measures were added as a core measure set in the fall of 2003. Hospitals began collecting core measure data for SIP with patient discharges beginning July 1, 2004. The SIP set subsequently transitioned to the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) measures effective July 1, 2006.
The Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) is a national quality partnership of organizations interested in improving surgical care by significantly reducing surgical complications. SCIP Partners include the Steering Committee of 10 national organizations who have pledged their commitment and full support for SCIP.
In addition, each of the SCIP target areas are advised by a technical expert panel (TEP). These groups have provided hours of technical expertise and resources to ensure the SCIP measures are fully supported by evidence-based research.
Finally, The Joint Commission continues to align with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with respect to the performance measures for patients undergoing surgery.
The SCIP measures can be found in the Specification Manual for National Hospital Inpatient Quality Measures. Submit your questions about SCIP measure specifications to the Performance Measurement Network Q&A Forum.
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