Vascular Surgery Meeting Summaries - April - June, 2026

In a view from above, cropped so you cannot see their faces, a Black man and Black woman in business attire sit at a wooden table working on their laptops. Two white coffee mugs, a book, a phone, and headphones are also on the table.

Did you miss a meeting or need a refresher? Read the summaries below. You can also access the slides via the secure NextCloud link that was emailed to you.

3/18/26 - VS Coordinator Webinar 11 am – 12 pm 

Thank you for attending the BMC2 VS Coordinator Virtual Meeting on March 18, 2026. We appreciate your time and ongoing commitment to improving vascular surgery quality across the collaborative. The presentation slides are located on NextCloud.

Dr. Kang, Bronson Methodist Hospital, provided a high‑level review of wound healing following vascular bypass, emphasizing key risk factors, evidence‑based strategies, and the important role coordinators play in monitoring outcomes and supporting quality improvement. Watch Dr. Kang’s presentation on our BMC2 YouTube channel.

Erika Sterling, RN, Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital, discussed the value of collaboration across teams, shared ownership of quality metrics, and best practices. Watch Erika’s presentation on our BMC2 YouTube channel.

Additionally, Rebecca Fleckenstein, RN, BMC2 Coordinating Center, provided an overview of the 2026 Vascular Surgery Peer Review process and shared updates to the VS Site Visit process, with a focus on enhanced engagement, meaningful discussion, and continued learning.

Key Dates & Reminders
  • 4/17: Physician reviewer information due
  • 4/20: Peer review document upload deadline
  • 4/29: 2027 P4P Goal Virtual Meeting. This meeting is not a P4P opportunity for Physician Champions. All are welcome to join us.
  • 5/15 – 5/29: Physician peer review period
  • 5/20: VS Physician Collaborative In-person Meeting (Harbor Springs, MI). This meeting is a P4P opportunity for Physician Champions. All are welcome to join us.
  • 6/9: Q1 2026 Data Entry Deadline

If you have questions or need assistance, please feel free to reach out. Thank you again for your continued partnership.

 

4/29/26 – VS P4P Goal Setting Meeting 

Below is a high-level recap of what we covered, what the group supported in polling, and the key follow-up items we’ll be working through. Please note that recommendations are reviewed & approved by Blue Cross in the coming months. The BMC2 Coordinating Center will then circulate approved measures.

Key themes from the discussion

Blue Cross has created a new VBR scorecard template that will allow for a tiered structure that also allows for partial credit

BMC2 CC suggests integrating partial credit on measures when sites have improved by a certain number of points.

Performance Measures (select 2 of 3)
EVAR surveillance documentation (1year follow-up)

Proposal: maintain 90% target for full credit in 2027, with partial credit for >80% or +10% improvement.

Poll: 78% Yes / 22% No

Vein mapping for elective lower extremity bypass

Marked improvement from 2024–2026; many sites now exceed the prior goal.

Proposal: raise full credit target to 95% in 2027, with partial credit for >80% or +10% improvement.

Poll: 76% Yes / 24% No

Duplex for asymptomatic carotid workup

Continued to be the most debated measure.

Proposal: increase target from 90% to 95%, with partial credit for 85–94% or +10% improvement.

Poll: 53% Yes / 47% No (split)

We heard specific operational challenges including mixed practice models and trainee workflows.

 

Maintenance Measure (partial credit)
Reintroducing statin + antiplatelet at discharge

Data show adherence dropped after the measure was retired.

Proposal: bring back the measure with partial credit framing for high maintenance performance.

Poll: 100% support

Tobacco Measure

Tobacco Cessation interventions

Major collaborative gains to date; strong agreement to continue pushing multimodal care.

Proposal: keep 70% metric (two of three interventions), add partial credit for 60–70%, and an additional tier to support sites struggling with multiple interventions.

Poll: 100% support

 

Participation Measures
Participation goals + physician engagement

Proposed updates to physician engagement/participation credit to incentivize broader involvement of participating physicians including partial credit tiers based on meeting attendance.

Poll: 86% yes / 16% No

We also heard concerns about how the measure may affect smaller sites given there often aren’t multiple surgeons available to attend meetings, and discussion about virtual meeting attendance constraints given data unblinding.

Next steps

Ensure that when a site designates an alternate physician for a BMC2 VS meeting, the alternate is credited for physician engagement points under the partial credit structure.

Bring feedback on this measure (especially the impact on smaller sites) back to BCBSM and work toward adjustments.

Investigate feasibility of including house staff and residents in physician engagement credit and report back.

Future measures discussed (in development)

Pre-op optimization (e.g., diabetes control, A1c/glucose monitoring) and how to define this consistently across sites

Next steps: Continue developing a future measure on optimizing patients pre-operatively (including how we’d define/measure it reliably).

Protamine variation and its relationship to bleeding/thrombotic outcomes (CEA, TCAR, transfemoral stenting, etc.).

Next steps: Analyze BMC2 data on protamine use vs. postop bleeding and thrombotic complications across procedures.

Exercise therapy and structured home exercise programs (acknowledging wide variation and the need for better measurement/incentives).

Next steps: Bring MiCR (Michigan Cardiac Rehab Network) to a future meeting to share business case, infrastructure, and strategic planning.

Thank you again for your engagement. Please share any additional thoughts to Dr. Osborne & Mollie so we can incorporate your feedback before final submission to BCBSM.

 

5/20/26 - VS Collaborative Meeting - 12 – 5 pm, The Highlands Resort, Harbor Springs, MI 

Thank you to everyone who joined the in-person BMC2 VS Physician Collaborative Meeting on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 in Harbor Springs, MI.

Meeting Highlights and Key Takeaways:
  • New Medications Data Definitions – New for January 2026 Discharges:
    • GLP-1 agonists (ex: Ozempic and Trulicity)
    • SGLT-2 inhibitors (ex: Jardiance and Invokana)

    These medications are often used for diabetes, but we will collect this data for all patients regardless of diagnosis.  Why?  Including these medications helps us understand more about usage and emerging therapies in vascular surgery patients.

  • Reminder re: Personal Email Addresses
    • Beginning January 1, 2026, the BMC2 Coordinating Center will no longer send reports, data, or site correspondence to personal email addresses. All communications will be directed to provider emails affiliated with your hospital or provider site. Sending site data to personal email addresses poses security risks to both your site and BMC2. Recent cybersecurity threats in our consortium have prompted this change. We recognize this may be inconvenient, but it is necessary for enhanced security.  Personal email addresses have been removed from our database as of May 1, 2026.  If you have not provided the Coordinating Center with your provider email address, please do so immediately to ensure you continue receiving important communications.
  • Slide Presentations - You can view a pdf of the slide presentations on NextCloud
    • Data Reviews and Presentations:
      • BMC2 Unblinded Data Review – Presented by Nicholas Osborne, MD (slides not included in the posted deck)
      • Partnering to Improve Cardiac Rehabilitation Access, Quality, and Outcomes – Presented by Jessica Golbus, MD, MS
      • Beyond Burden:  What Quality of Life Means to Individuals Living with PAD – Presented by Mary Byrnes, PhD, MUP
      • BMC2 VS Publication Strategy Committee Update – Presented by Nicholas Osborne, MD
      • BMC2 VS Patient and Caregiver Advisory Council Update – Presented by Elizabeth Horn
      • Having Class II/III Obesity Significantly Increases Risk of Wound Complications Following Lower Extremity Bypass by Twofold – Presented by Grace Djapri, MSN, RN, FNP, MyMichigan Health Midland
      • Innovating Together:  Audit Letter Impact – Presented by Mollie Bodin, MA 
Resources:
Patients and Caregivers at the Heart of BMC2

Recruit patients to join the BMC2 VS Patients and Caregivers Advisory Council to share their experiences.  They will benefit from meeting others who have had or supported through similar health issues, and help physicians create resources to improve care and support.  Patients are paid for their time.  Use the QR code below to learn more.  You can also email the BMC2 Coordinating Center at bmc2.info@umich.edu or call us at (734) 998-6400.

             

CARES Peer Support is Live!
New CARES Peer Support for Vascular Surgeons.  Learn more by visiting CARES Peer Support at BMC2.org.

A special thank you to our Peer Supporters! 

      

Upcoming Meetings
  • 8/19/26 – Virtual BMC2 VS Coordinator Meeting (11am-12pm)
  • 10/14/26 – Annual in-person BMC2 VS Coordinator Meeting at the GM Factory One in Flint, MI (12pm-4pm)
  • 10/15/26 – Annual in-person BMC2 VS Collaborative Meeting at the GM Factory One in Flint, MI (12pm-5pm)
  • 12/2/26 – Virtual BMC2 VS Coordinator Meeting (11am-12pm)

Please contact the BMC2 Coordinating Center with any questions or concerns.

Thank you for your continued engagement and support!