Sharon-Lise T. Normand is the principal investigator on this project. Ann Lovett is the project contact: 617-432-0005.
In 2002, a data-coordinating center (Mass-DAC) was established to collect, analyze, and monitor the quality of cardiac care delivered at all hospitals in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that provide cardiac surgery or coronary interventions. Mass-DAC was formed following a 2001 report filed by the Massachusetts Cardiac Care Quality Commission in response to the Massachusetts legislature’s mandate that the Department of Public Health collect patient-specific outcome data and evaluate all cardiac surgery and coronary intervention programs in the Commonwealth.
Hospital staff collect detailed clinical data using the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) National Cardiac Surgery Database instrument and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) National Cardiovascular Data Registry (ACC-NCDR) instrument; these data are securely transmitted to Mass-DAC. The clinical data are validated through random chart audits and case completion through linkage with state hospital discharge data. Massachusetts hospitals are also mandated to report the outcome data to the STS and ACC national registries. Data are harvested quarterly. Cases for cardiac surgery include all surgeries occurring since January 1, 2002, while coronary interventions cases correspond to procedures performed since April 1, 2003. Mass-DAC also monitors hospital and physician-specific 30-day mortality for the surgery cohort and in-hospital mortality for the coronary intervention cohort. As of June 2006, Mass-DAC has data for more than 33,000 cardiac surgery admissions and 57,611 percutaneous coronary intervention admissions. Public reports about hospital-specific and physician-specific care are made available electronically.
The data coordinating center is directed by Dr. Normand, and managed by Ann Lovett, RN. Several HCP programmers participate in the center (Silverstein, Wolf, and Zelevinsky) and the databases are managed by Matthew Cioffi. The center is advised by a Cardiac Advisory Board, the Massachusetts Cardiac Care Quality Advisory Commission, and the Massachusetts STS. More details are available at the Mass-DAC website.
