Fox Chase Urologic Oncologists Serve as Leaders for PURC Collaborative

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  Robert Uzzo, MD, FACS, Chair of the Department of Surgical Oncology, is the executive director and Marc Smaldone, MD, surgical oncologist, is the regional clinical champion for the Pennsylvania Urologic Regional Collaborative (PURC).

  PURC is conducting a regional prostate cancer improvement collaborative modeled after the Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative (MUSIC). It will provide urology practices across the region with a mechanism for performance measurement and reporting, as well as comparative, risk-adjusted data reported in real time to drive quality improvement.

  

  PURC's data collection was initiated in May 2015 and currently brings together 106 practicing urologists from nine major urology practices from across Pennsylvania and one New Jersey practice. This multiyear, data-sharing and QI collaborative is aimed at advancing the quality of care for men with prostate cancer. By the close of 2017, there were over 6,200 cases entered into the PURC Registry.

  "Physician-led quality improvement initiatives foster collaboration and consensus, and improve adherence to best-practice guidelines,” said Smaldone, whose role in PURC is to set goals, establish metrics and identify approaches that best support participating practices. "By participating in PURC, urologists in the state of Pennsylvania and New Jersey have shown they are committed to providing the best care possible to patients with prostate cancer."

  For more information on the PURC Collaborative, contact Sharine Davis, Director of Clinical Improvement/PURC program manager, at 215-575-3747.