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Surgeons undergo video peer review of cases to continuously enhance skills and expertise
NEW HYDE PARK, NY — Northwell Health is taking a progressive approach to continuously enhancing the skills, training and education of its physicians performing robot-assisted surgery through the implementation of C-SATS, Inc.'s innovative video case review system. This video case review system provides customized learning opportunities to continuously improve surgeons' technical skills. And since it's online, it can be integrated into their daily routine in a near-seamless way.
"For us, it's simple. Northwell is focused on continuously enhancing patient safety and quality of care," said James Sullivan, MD, vice chair of surgical oncology at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute. "We know that one of the best ways to achieve this is by creating a culture of education and surrounding our providers with excellent training. C-SATS is an incredible addition to our educational offerings for surgeons."
After a successful pilot project, Northwell launched C-SATS in eight of its hospitals this fall: North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, Staten Island University Hospital, Huntington Hospital, Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, Southside Hospital in Bay Shore and Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow.
Surgeons who perform procedures with robotic equipment use C-SATS to upload HIPAA-compliant videos of surgeries involving patients whose identity is kept confidential. Crowds of trained reviewers then evaluate the surgeon's technical skills. Once their scores are tallied, the surgeons have a chance to gain detailed feedback on their performance from peers who are considered experts in the field. These methods are then paired with resources and learning opportunities customized to the specific needs of the surgeon.
"In the same way athletes watch game film to improve their forward passing or curveball, surgeons can watch operating room video to hone their use of robotic equipment," said Derek Streat, CEO of C-SATS, Inc. "Great professionals – athletes or surgeons – are those who continuously work to improve their skills. Most importantly, it will enable them to provide superior care to Northwell patients."
Currently, Northwell surgeons perform more robotic surgeries than any other provider on the Eastern seaboard. Robotic systems are used for minimally invasive cancer, cardiovascular, gynecological, thoracic, colorectal, urological, hip and knee, head and neck, and general surgeries.
Northwell surgeons use C-SATS to improve their skills and standards of care, and in turn patient outcomes. The process is quick, and feedback is gathered in just a few hours. This allows surgeons to retrieve their results when convenient, which means they can integrate training into their daily routine instead of taking days or weeks away from work.
"Getting feedback helped me stay focused on improving my technical skills," said Dara Shalom, MD, a urogynecologist who participated in the pilot program. "The advice I got from my peers is fresh in my mind every time I go into surgery."
C-SATS is already used in more than 70 health systems across the country. It is designed to ensure the safety and confidentiality of both Northwell surgeons and patients. C-SATS enables surgeons to gain continuing education credits, as well as a C-SATS certification when regularly using the application.
About Northwell Health
Northwell Health is New York State's largest health care provider and private employer, with 22 hospitals, over 550 outpatient facilities and nearly 15,000 affiliated physicians. We care for more than two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 63,500 employees – 15,000+ nurses and 4,000 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We're making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institute. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu.
About C-SATS
Seattle-based C-SATS, Inc. (http://www.csats.com/) is a venture-backed healthcare technology company. Its mission is to empower the nation's healthcare institutions to improve the performance of their surgeons and operating room teams continuously, accurately and objectively. Based on technology developed at the University of Washington by a group of surgeons, biostatisticians and engineers, C-SATS' performance management system utilizes a unique combination of distributed experts and pre-qualified reviewers to evaluate surgical skill. After benchmarking and identifying performance, C-SATS recommends targeted curriculum to help improve and track performance. Medical centers across the U.S. and Canada have completed over one million assessments via C-SATS for a variety of cases, including continuous quality improvement, residency and training.