Turning surgical evidence into better policy decisions
ACS HPRI exists to improve understanding of surgical patient care from a policy perspective. Its mission connects reliable data with the people who shape access, quality, workforce planning, education, and the delivery of surgical services.
A policy lens on surgical care
The American College of Surgeons established the Health Policy Research Institute in response to the need for high-quality, relevant information about the health care system, the economy, and society as they affect surgical patients and practitioners.
The original mission describes a data-driven, knowledge-based program for examining surgical services, the surgical workforce, and public policies affecting surgery. It also identifies a broad audience: the public, federal and state governments, health care consumers, and the policy community.
This page preserves that institutional purpose while organizing it for today’s reader. Historical publications and maps remain dated resources; they should be interpreted according to their methodology, publication year, and stated limitations.
What the mission asks the institute to examine
Surgical workforce
Understand and anticipate workforce issues that may affect whether patients can reach appropriate surgical care.
Emerging technology
Examine how new technology may change clinical practice, access, organization, cost, and the experience of surgical patients.
Meaningful quality guidance
Support surgical quality guidelines with sound research, transparent measures, and clear boundaries around what evidence can establish.
Economics and the medicolegal environment
Study how payment, resources, incentives, liability, and regulation can influence the delivery of surgical services.
Policy scholarship
Create an educational environment for rigorous work in health policy, health services research, and socioeconomic questions affecting surgery.
Legislative communication
Translate evidence for policy audiences while keeping measured findings, interpretation, limitations, and advocacy clearly distinguishable.
How the mission becomes useful work
Define the question
Start with a specific workforce, access, quality, utilization, or policy problem.
Use traceable evidence
Document the data year, population, geography, methods, and important limitations.
Explain the finding
Separate what was measured from assumptions, causal claims, and policy interpretation.
Make it accessible
Publish projects, maps, reports, and context that readers can evaluate and reuse responsibly.
Evidence should be understandable beyond the research team
The institute’s mission is deliberately public-facing. Technical rigor matters, but so do clear definitions, visible dates, useful explanations, and direct access to source material.
Frequently asked questions
Does ACS HPRI advocate for a predetermined policy outcome?
The stated mission emphasizes data-driven, knowledge-based examination of surgical services, workforce, quality, economics, and policy. Publications should distinguish evidence and limitations from subsequent policy interpretation.
Why are historical maps and reports still available?
Dated resources can document how workforce questions were measured at a particular time. Their value depends on clear publication dates, methods, and limits; they should not be presented as current estimates without current data.
Where can I see work connected to this mission?
Use the Projects page for research initiatives, Publications for reports and journal citations, Maps for geographic workforce resources, and the Newsroom for newer policy reporting.
See the evidence behind the mission
Move from institutional purpose to research questions, publications, and surgical workforce maps.