The Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database Update on Outcomes and Quality

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database (STS GTSD) is a voluntary effort that provides participants with semiannual, risk-adjusted performance reports that facilitate quality improvement and comparison of institutional outcomes with national benchmarks. With improved participation in the STS GTSD, increasingly meaningful analyses are available. This year, risk models for lobectomy and esophagectomy for cancer were updated. In addition, we developed the first composite quality measure for general thoracic surgery, a composite measure for lobectomy for lung cancer. Furthermore, international collaboration with the European Society of Thoracic Surgery has facilitated our understanding of variation between American and European treatment patterns, providing a foundation for future quality improvement initiatives. This article summarizes current aggregate national outcomes in general thoracic surgery and reviews related activities in the areas of quality measurement, performance improvement, and transparency from the STS GTSD over the past 12 months.