The American College of Surgeons Minimum Hospital Standardization Programme and the Foundation of the College of Surgeons of Australasia

The American College of Surgeons' Minimum Hospital Standardization (MHS) Programme was central to its foundation and subsequent growth over the next 40 years. Its significance was second only to the election of its Fellows. The development of the MHS exactly overlapped the years preceding the foundation of the College of Australasian Surgeons in 1927 and its reputation was well known to Australasian surgeons and governments-yet it was never developed in Australasia. The current interest in Australian Clinical Quality Registries and the upcoming College's Centenary is an opportunity to reappraise a missed opportunity.