TENNESSEE CHAPTER The Tennessee Surgical Quality Collaboration (TSQC) was established by the TN Chapter and the TN Hospital Association with the mutual goal of improving surgical care in TN through the implementation of the ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (NSQIP). For more information about NSQIP, visit https://acsnsqip.org/main/default.asp. The TSQC was funded through a generous three year grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Tennessee Health Foundation. This funding significantly reduces barriers for Tennessee surgeons and hospitals wishing to participate in – and benefit from- the program. NSQIP is a web-based quality improvement tool which originated in the VA Hospital system. The American College of Surgeons modified the program to be appropriate for the private sector. ACS NSQIP can be utilized to collect and report risk-adjusted outcomes data for surgical services. When TSQC was formed, there were three hospitals in TN that had implemented NSQIP - Erlanger Health System, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and St. Francis Hospital. There are now seven (7) additional hospitals in TN that have implemented NSQIP. Ultimately, the Collaborative hopes to publish best practices in surgery. For more information about TSQC, contact Joe Cofer, MD, FACS (joe.cofer@erlanger.org) or visit the TSQC web site http://www.tnsqc.org/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fDefault.aspx