Overview of the NCDR
NCDR History:
In 1997, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) launched the “ACC National
Cardiovascular Data Registry” (NCDR) a national registry program designed to
monitor and improve cardiovascular patient care and clinical outcomes by identifying
variation and gaps in quality.
Current State:
Today, more than 2,200 hospitals and 400 offices participate in the NCDR and are
dedicated to ongoing quality measurement and improvement. As the United States’
preeminent cardiovascular data repository NCDR contains nearly 13 million
patient records. These rich clinical data provide the platform for:
 performance measurement and ongoing national and local quality
improvement;
 a mechanism to support Coverage with Evidence Decisions and other health
plan quality measurement requirements;
 a mechanism for state regulators to monitor cardiovascular quality such as
Massachussets, Maryland, West Virginia, and California;
 tracking compliance with appropriate use criteria to improve quality, reduce
costs and variation in PCI and CABG care;
 disease and market surveillance for new technologies like TAVI, AF, and new
anti-coagulation care;
 longitudinal assessments derived from linkages between inpatient and
outpatient registries, claims data, lab data, and pharmacy data;
 powering national and local quality improvement initiatives such as Door to
Balloon Time and Mission:Lifeline;
 ongoing knowledge generation via research and publications that help to
shape the next generation of best practice and clinical guidelines.
As a trusted, patient-centered resource, the NCDR has developed clinical modules
that support the areas of cardiovascular care where quality can be measured,
benchmarked, and improved to make a difference in patients’ lives. The NCDR suite
of cardiovascular data registries has expanded to include the following:
PINNACLE Registry
CAD, HF, Diabetes, AFib, and HTN patients in the office setting
ACTION Registry®-GWTG™
high-risk STEMI/NSTEMI patients
CathPCI Registry®
cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention procedures
CARE Registry®
carotid artery stenting and endarterectomy procedures
ICD Registry™
implantable cardioverter defibrillator procedures
IMPACT Registry™
adult and pediatric congenital heart conditions
STS/ACC TVT Registry™
transcatheter valve therapies
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Providers
The NCDR, a source healthcare providers trust, is also uniquely positioned to reduce
wasteful and inefficient care variations; and implement effective, continuous quality
improvement processes for another decade and beyond. By gathering, analyzing,
and providing the data required for making informed treatment decisions, the NCDR
also allows healthcare providers to:
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Keep the focus on quality elements that streamline efficiencies, control costs,
and enhance patient outcomes
Streamline reporting to regulatory and health plan groups
Identify compliance with evidence-based clinical guidelines and
appropriateness criteria
Speed-up reimbursements through single-source documentation for improved
cash flow
Respond to emerging payment reform and performance measurement
initiatives
Become a leadership organization that attracts and retains the finest clinicians
Analytic and Reporting Services
Numerous groups now require participation in one or more of the NCDR registries
such as CMS for ICD primary prevention CED, United Healthcare, Blue Cross Blue
Shield Association, WellPoint, as well as many state departments of health. These
groups have come to appreciate the value of high quality clinical data and its value
when used for performance measure tracking and ongoing quality improvement.
NCDR Research Network
The NCDR Research Network provides a vehicle for researchers to address
hypothesis generating questions. To date, the NCDR has supported more than 100
published papers with many more on the horizon. Recently, the NCDR has expanded
its research capabilities through several grants to conduct observational outcomes
research, comparative effectiveness studies, and post market surveillance.
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