American college of surgeons children’s surgery verification quality improvement program: What anesthesiologists need to know now

A task force of pediatric surgical specialists with the support of The American College of Surgeons recently launched a verification program for pediatric surgery, the Children’s Surgery Verification quality improvement program, with the goal of improving pediatric surgical, procedural, and perioperative care. Included in this program are specific standards for the delivery of pediatric anesthesia care across a variety of practice settings. We review the background, available evidence, requirements for verification, and verification process and its implications for the practice of pediatric anesthesia across the country. In addition, we have included a special roundtable interview of 3 recently Children’s Surgery Verification–verified program directors to provide an up-to-date real-world perspective of this children’s surgery quality improvement program. (Anesth Analg 2018;126:1624–32.