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The Society for Vascular Surgery Launches the Vascular Quality Initiative in Partnership With M2S, Inc.

The Society for Vascular Surgery® (SVS) announced today that it will partner with M2S, Inc., a leading provider of medical image and clinical data analysis services, to launch the Vascular Quality Initiative. This initiative will employ a new methodology for vascular quality improvement by fostering the organization of regional study groups. The initiative is modeled after the highly successful Vascular Study Group of New England (VSGNE) that began in 2002 and expanded internationally in collaboration with M2S in 2009.

This partnership positions SVS and M2S as leaders in vascular outcomes tracking by providing a web-based data management platform for vascular surgeons to analyze outcomes, reinforce best practices and share quality improvement efforts locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. SVS oversees the Vascular Quality Initiative through the SVS Patient Safety Organization (SVS PSO). Dr. Jack Cronenwett, of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and former SVS president, has been appointed Medical Director of the SVS PSO, and will be supported by an executive council comprised of SVS and regional group representatives. The SVS PSO will establish common data elements, define standardized reporting tools, and oversee comparative data analyses while encouraging regional group autonomy.

The Vascular Quality Initiative utilizes M2S's secure, web-based Clinical Data Pathways system for data entry and report generation. Clinical Data Pathways allows participants to understand and improve patient outcomes by providing efficient data collection, aggregation and analysis of vascular procedure data and delivering real-time, anonymous, benchmarked reports of major outcomes and processes of care.

"We are excited to partner with SVS to provide the platform for the Vascular Quality Initiative. M2S has been committed to improving vascular patient outcomes for over ten years with our advanced imaging technology. We believe that the Vascular Quality Initiative combined with standardized pre-operative and post-operative imaging will significantly improve patient care," said Greg Lange, President and Chief Operating Officer of M2S.

The SVS PSO has collected peri-operative data on over 17,500 procedures entered from 33 centers across 11 states and Canada. Regional groups have formed in New England, the Carolinas, Texas, Southern California, the Mid-Atlantic and Toronto, Canada. Additional groups are forming in Florida, Virginia, New Jersey, Georgia and Michigan.

About M2S, Inc.
M2S provides medical image and data management services designed to improve patient outcomes through clinical data registries, advanced image analysis and aortic device clinical trials. For more information on Clinical Data Pathways and the Vascular Quality Initiative, visit www.m2s.com/vascularquality.

About SVS
The Society for Vascular Surgery® (SVS) is a not-for-profit professional medical society, composed primarily of vascular surgeons, that seeks to advance excellence and innovation in vascular health through education, advocacy, research, and public awareness. SVS is the national advocate for 3,350 specialty-trained vascular surgeons and other medical professionals who are dedicated to the prevention and cure of vascular disease. Visit its website at www.VascularWeb.org® and follow SVS on Twitter by searching for VascularHealth or at http://twitter.com/VascularHealth.