The ACS Quality Verification Program (ACS QVP) is the American College of Surgeons program that verifies a hospital's surgical quality infrastructure, across all surgical specialties, against the 12 standards in Optimal Resources for Surgical Quality and Safety. This page is for hospital surgical quality leaders preparing for Focused or Comprehensive Verification. Integral Healthcare Solutions (IHS) drafts the surgical quality governance and review documentation for ACS verification; your surgeons own the clinical review.
Last reviewed: October 2026.
What is the ACS Quality Verification Program?
ACS says that "ACS Quality Verification Program (ACS QVP) provides a proven, standardized method for establishing, measuring, and improving your hospital-wide quality infrastructure" (ACS, Quality Verification Program). It is one of the accreditation and verification programs on the ACS program index (ACS, Accreditation and Verification).
The governing text is Optimal Resources for Surgical Quality and Safety, 2026 ACS QVP Standards. ACS says the standards "span all surgical specialties to provide a blueprint for hospitals and hospital systems to build a successful surgical quality program" and detail "12 salient elements of surgical quality" (ACS, QVP Program Standards). The standards page we read on 2 October 2026 does not show an effective date; check it before your team starts work against the 2026 edition.
Who needs it and what triggers it
The buyer is a hospital's surgical quality leadership, working on hospital-wide surgical quality rather than one service line. The triggers:
- A decision to verify the hospital's surgical quality structure. QVP covers the hospital and its surgical specialties under one set of standards (standards page).
- NSQIP participation. The levels page describes Focused Verification as included in the annual ACS NSQIP participation fee for NSQIP hospitals (ACS, QVP Levels of Participation, summarized).
- A planned site visit date. The levels page sets application lead times: at least six months ahead for Focused Verification and at least 12 months ahead for Comprehensive Verification, shorter after a Focused Verification (summarized).
- Renewal preparation. The pages we reviewed did not state the verification term or the re-verification cycle.
Focused versus Comprehensive Verification
ACS offers two levels. The details below come from the levels page; the quoted phrases are ACS's, and the visit lengths, chart counts and lead times are summarized from that page.
| Focused Verification | Comprehensive Verification | |
|---|---|---|
| What ACS says it is | "Assessment of all ACS QVP standards at both the hospital- and specialty-level, as applicable" | "Customized, actionable recommendations for building and improving surgical quality infrastructure through a site visit and written report" |
| Site visit | About two half days | Two full days |
| Chart review | 10 patient files | 20 patient files |
| Specialties reviewed | Two surgical specialties in deep-dive sessions | Meetings with each surgical specialty |
| Questionnaires | Hospital Pre-Review Questionnaire plus two Surgical Specialty PRQs | Hospital Pre-Review Questionnaire plus a Surgical Specialty PRQ for every specialty |
| Apply ahead of the visit | At least six months | At least 12 months, shorter after Focused Verification |
Applications go through the ACS Quality Portal (QPort, ACS QVP application), linked from the QVP overview page.
How IHS helps
IHS works on the governance and documentation side of verification. The process:
- Gap assessment. IHS reads your hospital's surgical quality structure against the 2026 ACS QVP standards your hospital obtains from ACS.
- Questionnaires. IHS sends questionnaires on governance, review and improvement work.
- Document and evidence mapping. IHS builds a crosswalk from each standard to its evidence and an evidence index that feeds the Hospital and Surgical Specialty Pre-Review Questionnaires.
- Drafting. IHS drafts surgical governance charters, multidisciplinary review procedures and improvement-project records for your surgical quality leaders to approve.
- Mock review. IHS reviews the file against the standards as a reviewer would and lists what is missing.
- Readiness support. IHS drafts responses to findings for your hospital to submit.
What you supply: the standards, committee records, quality data and your surgeons' decisions on pathways and outcomes.
The limit: surgical outcome interpretation and clinical review are surgeon work. IHS does not review charts for clinical quality or interpret outcome data. Your hospital applies through QPort, submits the questionnaires and handles every exchange with ACS.
What to have ready
Each item ties to the ACS QVP pages read on 2 October 2026.
- The Optimal Resources for Surgical Quality and Safety, 2026 ACS QVP Standards, with the effective date checked on the standards page.
- A choice between Focused and Comprehensive Verification (levels page).
- A target visit date that leaves the lead time the levels page sets for your level.
- Your NSQIP participation status, which affects how Focused Verification fees are handled (levels page, summarized).
- A named owner for the Hospital Pre-Review Questionnaire (levels page).
- Named owners for each Surgical Specialty PRQ: two for Focused, every specialty for Comprehensive (levels page).
- For Focused Verification, the two surgical specialties that will take part in deep-dive sessions (levels page).
- Surgical quality committee records and improvement-project records that show the standards' "12 salient elements of surgical quality" in operation (standards page).
- Patient records available for the chart review: 10 files for Focused, 20 for Comprehensive (levels page, summarized).
- A named person to apply through the ACS Quality Portal.
The introductory call is the place to go through this list against your hospital's surgical quality structure today.
How it compares
| Option | What it involves | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| ACS QVP Focused or Comprehensive Verification | Hospital-wide surgical quality standards across all surgical specialties; site visit and chart review | ACS QVP pages |
| ACS NSQIP participation without verification | IHS's reading (October 2026): participation without a QVP site visit; Focused Verification fees are bundled into the NSQIP participation fee for NSQIP hospitals | ACS levels page |
| Service-line ACS programs | Narrower scope: one service line, such as bariatric surgery (MBSAQIP), geriatric surgery (GSV) or trauma (ACS Trauma VRC) | ACS program index |
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What it costs
The cost has two parts: the ACS fees and your own staff and surgeon time. ACS does not publish a fee schedule on the pages we reviewed. ACS states that NSQIP hospitals are eligible for Focused Verification as part of their annual NSQIP participation fee and that additional fees apply for Comprehensive Verification (ACS, QVP Levels of Participation). No amounts are given there. Verify current fees with ACS. IHS prices its own work after a free introductory call.
What this is not
- IHS is not part of ACS. It does not grant, influence or predict a verification decision.
- IHS does not apply through QPort, submit to ACS or act for your hospital before it. Your hospital applies, submits and corresponds.
- IHS does not perform clinical peer review or interpret surgical outcomes, and this page is not clinical advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ACS Quality Verification Program?
ACS says that "ACS Quality Verification Program (ACS QVP) provides a proven, standardized method for establishing, measuring, and improving your hospital-wide quality infrastructure" (ACS). It verifies a hospital against Optimal Resources for Surgical Quality and Safety, 2026 ACS QVP Standards.
What are the ACS QVP standards?
They are the 12 standards in Optimal Resources for Surgical Quality and Safety, 2026 ACS QVP Standards. ACS says they "span all surgical specialties" and detail "12 salient elements of surgical quality" (ACS, QVP Program Standards). This page does not restate each standard; your hospital works from the standards document.
What is the difference between Focused and Comprehensive Verification?
Focused Verification is an "Assessment of all ACS QVP standards at both the hospital- and specialty-level, as applicable," with a visit of about two half days and two specialties reviewed in depth. Comprehensive Verification gives "Customized, actionable recommendations" through a two-day visit, meetings with each surgical specialty and a written report. IHS does not choose the level for you.
Do we need to participate in ACS NSQIP to join QVP?
The levels page states that NSQIP hospitals are eligible for Focused Verification as part of their annual NSQIP participation fee (ACS). It does not say whether a hospital outside NSQIP may apply. Confirm with ACS before you plan around it.
How far ahead should we apply before a QVP site visit?
The levels page sets at least six months before the anticipated visit for Focused Verification and at least 12 months for Comprehensive Verification, with a shorter lead time after a Focused Verification. These lead times are summarized from the ACS page.
What does the QVP site visit include?
For Focused Verification, about two half days, a chart review of 10 patient files and deep-dive sessions with two surgical specialties. For Comprehensive Verification, two full days, a chart review of 20 patient files and meetings with each surgical specialty. Both start from a Hospital Pre-Review Questionnaire and Surgical Specialty PRQs.
How much does ACS QVP cost?
ACS does not publish fee amounts on the pages we reviewed. The levels page ties Focused Verification fees to NSQIP participation and states that additional fees apply for Comprehensive Verification. IHS prices its own work after a free introductory call.
How does QVP differ from service-line ACS programs such as MBSAQIP or GSV?
QVP standards "span all surgical specialties" and address the hospital's surgical quality infrastructure (ACS). Service-line programs, such as MBSAQIP for bariatric surgery or GSV for geriatric surgery, each cover one area of care under their own standards. Whether a hospital pursues one, several or none is its own decision.