What is the Vermont Oxford Network?
Vermont Oxford Network
The Vermont Oxford Network (VON) is a non-profit voluntary collaboration of health care
professionals dedicated to improving the quality and safety of medical care for newborn
infants and their families. Established in 1988, the Network is today comprised of over 800
Neonatal Intensive Care Units around the world.
In support of its mission, the Network maintains a Database including information about the
care and outcomes of high-risk newborn infants. The Database provides unique, reliable and
confidential data to participating units for use in quality management, process
improvement, internal audit and peer review.
Health care professionals from member institutions participate actively in clinical trials,
long-term follow-up studies and epidemiologic and outcomes research. Members also have the
option of participating in the Network's NIC/Q and iNICQ Quality Improvement Collaboratives
for Neonatology consisting of multidisciplinary improvement teams working together to
identify and implement better practices aimed at achieving measurable improvements in
quality and safety.
The Network disseminates the results of its work in Network publications, scientific articles in peer reviewed medical journals and this web site. The Network also
sponsors an Annual Meeting for individuals from member institutions and an Annual Quality
Congress for Neonatology open by registration to all interested health professionals.
This web site is intended to provide information regarding the Network's activities to
members, prospective members and the interested public.
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VON Database
At the heart of what we do lies the VON database, which maintains data on very low birth weight babies,
as well as certain additional infants meeting our eligibility requirements.
More than a simple data repository, VON serves as a neutral, independent party in analyzing data
for our member centers. The Database is used to provide comprehensive, confidential reports to participating
hospitals, which serve as the foundation for local quality improvement projects, internal audit, and peer
review. The Database also provides information for use in outcomes research.
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Quality Improvement Collaboratives
VON members have the option to participate in our NIC/Q and iNICQ quality improvement collaboratives.
Our quality improvement website, www.nicq.org, provides tools and resources
for improvement, as well as voluntary anonymous reporting of medical errors.
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Our Members
Founded in 1988 by Jerold F. Lucey, M.D. and developed in collaboration with Jeffrey D. Horbar, M.D.
and Roger F. Soll, M.D., we now have over 800 member centers in the Network and collect data on over 115,000
infants in a year. Since 1990, we have added over 600,000 infants to our database, which now includes nearly
two thirds of all very low birth weight infants born each year in the United States.
Working across borders, we are also proud to collaborate with over 160 member centers in North
America, Europe, Asia, the Pacific Rim, the Middle East, South America, and Africa.
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