Benefits of an intensive community surgical audit program.

In addition to educational benefits, an intensive audit program has satisfied Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Hospitals requirements, allowed in-house Professional Standards Review Organization accreditation, increased percentage of surgery performed by qualified surgeons, and led to the establishment of an effective morbidity and mortality conference. Better methods of granting surgical privileges have been developed, and our accumulated statistics have been utilized to assure our local press and public that we are practicing good quality surgery.