Fall 2023 Newsletter
SAVE THE DATE: SCW 2024 Summer Meeting
It’s never too early to mark your calendars for next year’s SCW Summer Meeting! Check back in early 2024 for more information.
SCW 2024 Summer Meeting | Aug 9-10, 2024| Heidel House Hotel and Conference Green Lake, WI
Wisconsin Surgical Society (WSS) Conference Recap
Congratulations to the Wisconsin Surgical Society on hosting a wonderful conference this month at The American Club! SCW exhibited at the conference, hosted a lunch for surgeons and Dr. Elise Lawson provided an update on the Collaborative to attendees.
Two SCW representatives also received the opportunity to present their research during the conference. See our abstract presenters below!
- Randi Cartmill
Declines in perioperative opioid prescribing to Wisconsin children, 2017-2022 - Dr. Chandler Cortina
Axillary Nodal Staging in Women Undergoing Upfront Surgery for DCIS in Wisconsin
Quality Improvement Updates
Reducing Breast Cancer Surgeries
After achieving success with Reducing Repeat Operations for Women with Breast Cancer, the SCW team is now expanding its Breast Cancer initiative by looking at patients undergoing breast conserving surgery (BCS) for DCIS and whether they received a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). Due to potential complications, national guidelines do not recommend SLNB for patients undergoing BCS for DCIS. The SCW team pulled preliminary data from the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) and found that >14% of Wisconsin women who underwent BCS for DCIS received a SLNB. Dr. Chandler Cortina from the Medical College of Wisconsin will be leading this effort to reduce the percentage of patients undergoing SLNB when it is not needed.
Be on the lookout for more information on this initiative within the next 6 months. If you’re interested in learning more or participating in a larger role, please email info@scwisconsin.org!
Opioid Stewardship for Surgical Patients
With the recent funding received from the state’s opioid settlement, the SCW team will begin implementing new interventions to reduce postoperative opioid prescribing. Since 2017, we have seen a 50% reduction in opioid prescribing levels in SCW hospitals but there is still work to be done! Although we are still in the early planning stages, the new interventions will include:
New surgeon specific CME in collaboration with pharmacists and anesthesiologists
Creating and disseminating patient educational materials
Enhancing the current performance reports to include prescribing trends over time
Purchasing and distributing opioid disposal bags
Begin planning to expand the initiative into orthopedics
If you’re interested in assisting the SCW team with these new interventions, email info@scwisconsin.org!
Don’t Forget 2021 and 2022 Performance Reports Are Now Available!
Reports are confidential and SCW members only have access to their own reports. The following reports are now ready to be viewed in the Learning Management System (LMS):
- Breast Cancer Surgery – 2021 & the first three quarters of 2022
- Enhanced Recovery Protocols for Colorectal Surgery – 2021 & the first three quarters of 2022
- Opioid Prescribing – 2021 & 2022