Relation of surgical volume to outcome in eight common operations: results from the VA National Surgical Quality Improvement Program

Inefficiencies of care in hub and spoke healthcare systems: A multi-state cohort study

BACKGROUND

Complex surgical care is often centralized to one high volume (hub) hospital within a system. The benefit of this centralization in common operations is unknown.

METHODS

Using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's State Inpatient Databases, adult general surgical patients within hospital systems in 13 states (2016-2018) were identified. Risk-adjusted logistic regression estimated the odds of death or serious morbidity (DSM) and prolonged length of stay (LOS) at hubs relative to other system hospitals (spokes).

RESULTS

We identified 122,895 patients across 43 hub-and-spoke systems. Hubs completed 83.2 ​% of complex and 59.6 ​% of common operations. For complex operations, odds of DSM were significantly lower in hubs (OR: 0.80; 95 ​% CI [0.65, 0.98]). For common operations, odds of DSM were similar between hubs and spokes, while odds of prolonged LOS were greater at hubs (OR 1.19; 95 ​% CI [1.16,1.24]).

CONCLUSIONS

While hub hospitals had lower odds of DSM for complex operation, they had higher odds of prolonged length of stay for common operations. This finding shows an opportunity for improved system efficiency.

Comprehensive value implications of surgeon volume for lung cancer surgery: Use of an analytic framework within a regional health system

Objective

We used a framework to assess the value implications of thoracic surgeon operative volume within an 8-hospital health system.

Methods

Surgical cases for non-small cell lung cancer were assessed from March 2015 to March 2021. High-volume (HV) surgeons performed >25 pulmonary resections annually. Metrics include length of stay, infection rates, 30-day readmission, in-hospital mortality, median 30-day charges and direct costs, and 3-year recurrence-free and overall survival. Multivariate regression-based propensity scores matched patients between groups. Metrics were graphed on radar charts to conceptualize total value.

Results

All 638 lung resections were performed by 12 surgeons across 6 hospitals. Two HV surgeons performed 51% (n = 324) of operations, and 10 low-volume surgeons performed 49% (n = 314). Median follow-up was 28.8 months (14.0-42.3 months). Lobectomy was performed in 71% (n = 450) of cases. HV surgeons performed more segmentectomies (33% [n = 107] vs 3% [n = 8]; P < .001). Patients of HV surgeons had a lower length of stay (3 [2-4] vs 5 [3-7]; P < .001) and infection rates (0.6% [n = 1] vs 4% [n = 7]; P = .03). Low-volume and HV surgeons had similar 30-day readmission rates (14% [n = 23] vs 7% [n = 12]; P = .12), in-hospital mortality (0% [n = 0] vs 0.6% [n = 1]; P = .33), and oncologic outcomes; 3-year recurrence-free survival was 95% versus 91%; P = .44, and 3-year overall survival was 94% versus 90%; P = 0. Charges were reduced by 28%, and direct costs were reduced by 23% (both P < .001) in the HV cohort.

Conclusions

HV surgeons provide comprehensive value across a health system. This multidomain framework can be used to help drive oncologic care decisions within a health system.

Programmatic quality measures: a new model to promote surgical quality

Health care performance metrics are offered predominantly in terms of outcomes, processes, or structural components of health care delivery. However, measurement is limited by variability in data sources, definitions, and workarounds. The American College of Surgeons has recently developed a new type of performance metric known as a "programmatic measure". These metrics align structures, processes, and outcomes to better coordinate quality measurement with support of frontline care teams. In this multifaceted way, these measures differ from current "single" measures such as targeting surgical site infection. The thematic focus of these measures and alignment of structure-resource components to support processes and outcomes also sets these measures apart from contemporary composite measures. Importantly, structural elements of these measures reflect minimum resources required for patient care, addressing staffing and resource barriers felt by local institutions in addressing numerous existing quality metrics. These metrics will streamline quality reporting to improve care navigation for patients. Clinicians will find more appropriately aligned goals and responsibilities, resulting in increased teamwork and communication. These measures are designed to address the current burdens of overabundant metrics, priority misalignment, and low resources in a patient-centric fashion to better align health care quality and measurement.

Measuring Quality at the Surgeon Level

Patients expect high-quality surgical care and increasingly are looking for ways to assess the quality of the surgeon they are seeing, but quality measurement is often more complicated than one might expect. Measurement of individual surgeon quality in a manner that allows for comparison among surgeons is particularly difficult. While the concept of measuring individual surgeon quality has a long history, technology now allows for new and innovative ways to measure and achieve surgical excellence. However, some recent efforts to make surgeon-level quality data publicly available have highlighted the challenges of this work. Through this chapter, the reader will be introduced to a brief history of surgical quality measurement, learn about the current state of quality measurement, and get a glimpse into what the future holds.

European Respiratory Society guideline on various aspects of quality in lung cancer care

This European Respiratory Society guideline is dedicated to the provision of good quality recommendations in lung cancer care. All the clinical recommendations contained were based on a comprehensive systematic review and evidence syntheses based on eight PICO (Patients, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes) questions. The evidence was appraised in compliance with the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach. Evidence profiles and the GRADE Evidence to Decision frameworks were used to summarise results and to make the decision-making process transparent. A multidisciplinary Task Force panel of lung cancer experts formulated and consented the clinical recommendations following thorough discussions of the systematic review results. In particular, we have made recommendations relating to the following quality improvement measures deemed applicable to routine lung cancer care: 1) avoidance of delay in the diagnostic and therapeutic period, 2) integration of multidisciplinary teams and multidisciplinary consultations, 3) implementation of and adherence to lung cancer guidelines, 4) benefit of higher institutional/individual volume and advanced specialisation in lung cancer surgery and other procedures, 5) need for pathological confirmation of lesions in patients with pulmonary lesions and suspected lung cancer, and histological subtyping and molecular characterisation for actionable targets or response to treatment of confirmed lung cancers, 6) added value of early integration of palliative care teams or specialists, 7) advantage of integrating specific quality improvement measures, and 8) benefit of using patient decision tools. These recommendations should be reconsidered and updated, as appropriate, as new evidence becomes available.

The new SUMPOT to predict postoperative complications using an Artificial Neural Network

An accurate assessment of preoperative risk may improve use of hospital resources and reduce morbidity and mortality in high-risk surgical patients. This study aims at implementing an automated surgical risk calculator based on Artificial Neural Network technology to identify patients at risk for postoperative complications. We developed the new SUMPOT based on risk factors previously used in other scoring systems and tested it in a cohort of 560 surgical patients undergoing elective or emergency procedures and subsequently admitted to intensive care units, high-dependency units or standard wards. The whole dataset was divided into a training set, to train the predictive model, and a testing set, to assess generalization performance. The effectiveness of the Artificial Neural Network is a measure of the accuracy in detecting those patients who will develop postoperative complications. A total of 560 surgical patients entered the analysis. Among them, 77 patients (13.7%) suffered from one or more postoperative complications (PoCs), while 483 patients (86.3%) did not. The trained Artificial Neural Network returned an average classification accuracy of 90% in the testing set. Specifically, classification accuracy was 90.2% in the control group (46 patients out of 51 were correctly classified) and 88.9% in the PoC group (8 patients out of 9 were correctly classified). The Artificial Neural Network showed good performance in predicting presence/absence of postoperative complications, suggesting its potential value for perioperative management of surgical patients. Further clinical studies are required to confirm its applicability in routine clinical practice.

Hospital Volume of Emergency General Surgery and its Impact on Inpatient Mortality for Geriatric Patients: Analysis From 3994 Hospitals

BACKGROUND

Previous investigations have shown a positive association between hospital volume of operations and clinical outcomes. However, it is unclear whether such relationships also apply to emergency surgery. We sought to examine the association between hospital case volume and inpatient mortality for 7 common emergency general surgery (EGS) operations among geriatric patients.

METHODS

This is a population based retrospective cohort study using the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Limited Dataset Files (LDS) from 2011 to 2013. The 7 most common emergency surgeries included (1) partial colectomy, (2) small-bowel resection (SBR), (3) cholecystectomy, (4) appendectomy, (5) lysis of adhesions (LOA), (6) operative management of peptic ulcer disease (PUD), and (7) laparotomy with the primary outcome being inpatient mortality. Risk-adjusted inpatient mortality was plotted against operative volume. Subsequently an operative volume threshold was calculated using a best fit regression method. Based on these estimates, high- and low-volume hospitals were compared to examine significance of outcomes. Significance was defined as P-value < .05.

RESULTS

The final cohort comprised of 414 779 patients from 3994 hospitals. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for high-volume centers were lower in 6 out of 8 surgeries examined. Small-bowel resection and partial colectomy operations had a significant decrease in mortality based on a volume threshold.

CONCLUSION

We observed decreased mortality with higher surgical volume for small-bowel resection and partial colectomy operations. Such differences may be related to practice patterns during the perioperative period, as complications related to the perioperative care were significantly lower for high-volume centers.

Minimally Invasive Surgery and Surgical Volume-Specific Survival and Perioperative Outcome: Unmet Need for Evidence in Gynecologic Malignancy

This study examined the effect of hospital surgical volume on oncologic outcomes in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for gynecologic malignancies. The objectives were to assess survival outcomes related to hospital surgical volume and to evaluate perioperative outcomes and examine non-gynecologic malignancies. Literature available from the PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library databases were systematically reviewed. All surgical procedures including gynecologic surgery with hospital surgical volume information were eligible for analysis. Twenty-three studies met the inclusion criteria, and nine gastro-intestinal studies, seven genitourinary studies, four gynecological studies, two hepatobiliary studies, and one thoracic study were reviewed. Of those, 11 showed a positive volume–outcome association for perioperative outcomes. A study on MIS for ovarian cancer reported lower surgical morbidity in high-volume centers. Two studies were on endometrial cancer, of which one showed lower treatment costs in high-volume centers and the other showed no association with perioperative morbidity. Another study examined robotic-assisted radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer and found no volume–outcome association for surgical morbidity. There were no gynecologic studies examining the association between hospital surgical volume and oncologic outcomes in MIS. The volume–outcome association for oncologic outcome in gynecologic MIS is understudied. This lack of evidence calls for further studies to address this knowledge gap.

[Patient safety during endoprosthetic training : Does the training of surgeons in primary hip arthroplasty at certified endoprosthesis centres lead to increased complications?]

Hintergrund

Ziel der Studie war die Untersuchung, ob sich das perioperative Outcome und operationsspezifische Prozessgrößen bei Patienten mit Hüftgelenksersatz signifikant verschlechtern, wenn die Operation durch einen unerfahrenen Operateur, assistiert durch einen erfahrenen Operateur, im Kontext eines zertifizierten Endoprothesenzentrums durchgeführt wird.

Material und Methoden

Es wurden 1480 Patienten eingeschlossen, die zwischen 2013 und 2016 bei primärer Koxarthrose mit einer primären zementfreien Hüfttotalendoprothese (HTEP) versorgt wurden. Die relevanten Daten wurden retrospektiv aus dem Krankenhausinformationssystem, dem Entlassungsbrief und aus dem EndoCert-Bogen dokumentiert. Die Operateure wurden nach ihrer Qualifikation in erfahrene (Senior, > 50 HTEP pro Jahr) und unerfahrene Operateure (Junior, < 50 HTEP pro Jahr) unterteilt. Anschließend erfolgte der Vergleich der erhobenen Daten anhand dieser Unterteilung.

Resultate

Es zeigte sich bei unerfahrenen Operateuren eine signifikante Verlängerung der Operationsdauer um 20,7 min (Senior 62,6 ± 20,4 min; Junior 83,3 ± 19,5 min; p ≤ 0,001), der Krankenhausverweildauer um 0,25 Tage (Senior 8,8 ± 0,9 d; Junior 9,0 ± 0,9 d; p ≤ 0,001) und eine Erhöhung der Transfusionshäufigkeit von Erythrozytenkonzentraten (Senior 0,6 ± 1,1 Stk.; Junior 0,9 ± 1,4 Stk.; p ≤ 0,001). Dagegen zeigte sich kein Unterschied bei perioperativen Komplikationen (p = 0,682) und beim perioperativen Blutverlust (Senior 1,3 ± 0,5 l; Junior 1,3 ± 0,5 l; p = 0,097). Zwischen Operationsdauer und Blutverlust bestand allerdings eine positive Korrelation (Senior r = 0,183; Junior r = 0,214; jeweils p ≤ 0,01).

Schlussfolgerung

Die Ausbildung von unerfahrenen Operateuren an einem zertifizierten Endoprothesenzentrum führt bei Assistenz durch erfahrene Operateure nicht zur Reduktion der Patientensicherheit mit vermehrten Komplikationen. Aufgrund der Operationszeitverlängerung kommt es allerdings zu einer Mehrbelastung der Kliniken im Wettbewerb mit nichtausbildenden Kliniken, die nicht im DRG-System abgebildet ist.

Identifying Risks and Opportunities in Outpatient Surgical Patient Safety: A Qualitative Analysis of Veterans Health Administration Staff Perceptions

OBJECTIVES

Little is known about patient safety risks in outpatient surgery. Inpatient surgical adverse events (AEs) risk factors include patient- (e.g., advanced age), process- (e.g., inadequate preoperative assessment), or structure-related characteristics (e.g., low surgical volume); however, these factors may differ from outpatient care where surgeries are often elective and in younger/healthier patients. We undertook an exploratory qualitative research project to identify risk factors for AEs in outpatient surgery.

METHODS

We developed a conceptual framework of patient, process, and structure factors associated with surgical AEs on the basis of a literature review. This framework informed our semistructured interview guide with (1) open-ended questions about a specific outpatient AE that the participant experienced and (2) outpatient surgical patient safety risk factors in general. We interviewed nationwide Veterans Health Administration surgical staff. Results were coded on the basis of categories in the conceptual framework, and additional themes were identified using content analysis.

RESULTS

Fourteen providers representing diverse surgical roles participated. Ten reported witnessing an AE, and everyone provided input on risk factors in our conceptual framework. We did not find evidence that patient race/age, surgical technique, or surgical volume affected patient safety. Emerging factors included patient compliance, postoperative patient assessments/instruction, operating room equipment needs, and safety culture.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgical staff are familiar with AEs and patient safety problems in outpatient surgery. Our results show that processes of care undertaken by surgical providers, as opposed to immutable patient characteristics, may affect the occurrence of AEs. The factors we identified may facilitate more targeted research on outpatient surgical AEs.

Volume Pledge is Not Associated with Better Short-Term Outcomes After Lung Cancer Resection

PURPOSE

We examined the relationship between short-term outcomes and hospitals and surgeons who met minimum volume thresholds for lung cancer resection based on definitions provided by the Volume Pledge. A secondary aim was to evaluate the volume-outcome relationship to determine alternative thresholds in the event the Volume Pledge was not associated with outcomes.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study (2015-2017) using the Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database. We used generalized estimating equations that accounted for confounding and clustering to compare outcomes across hospitals and surgeons who did and did not meet the Volume Pledge criteria: ≥ 40 patients per year for hospitals and ≥ 20 patients per year for surgeons. Our secondary aim was to model volume by using restricted cubic splines to determine the association between volume and short-term outcomes.

RESULTS

Among 32,183 patients, 465 surgeons, and 209 hospitals, 16,630 patients (52%) received care from both a hospital and surgeon meeting the Volume Pledge criteria. After adjustment, there was no relationship with operative mortality, complications, major morbidity, a major morbidity-mortality composite end point, or failure to rescue. The Volume Pledge group had a 0.5 day (95% CI, 0.2 to 0.7 day) shorter length of stay. Our secondary aim revealed a nonlinear relationship between hospital volume and complications in which intermediate-volume hospitals had the highest risk of complications. Surgeon volume was associated with major morbidity, a major morbidity-mortality composite end point, and length of stay in an inverse linear fashion. Only 8% of surgeons had volumes associated with better outcomes.

CONCLUSION

The Volume Pledge was not associated with better outcomes except for a marginally shorter length of stay. A re-examination of volume-outcome relationships for hospitals and surgeons yielded mixed results that did not reveal a practical alternative for volume-based quality improvement efforts.

The Impact of Regionalization of Pancreaticoduodenectomy for Pancreatic Cancer in North Carolina since 2004

Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) carries a significant risk. High-volume centers (HVCs) provide improved outcomes and regionalization is advocated. Rapid regionalization could, however, have detrimental effects. North Carolina has multiple HVCs, including an additional HVC added in late 2006. We investigated regionalization of PD and its effects before, and after, the establishment of this fourth HVC. The North Carolina Hospital Discharge Database was queried for all PDs performed during 2004 to 2006 and 2007 to 2009. Hospitals were categorized by PD volume as: low (one to nine/year), medium (10 to 19/year), and high (20/year or more). Mortality and major morbidity was assessed by comparing volume groups across time periods. Number of PDs for cancer increased 91 per cent (129 to 246 cases) at HVCs, whereas decreasing at low-volume (62 to 58 cases) and medium-volume (80 to 46 cases) centers. Percentage of PD for cancer performed at HVCs increased significantly (47.6 to 70.3%) while decreasing for low- and medium-volume centers ( P < 0.001). Mortality was significantly less at HVCs (2.8%) compared with low-volume centers (10.3%) for 2007 to 2009. Odds ratio for mortality was significantly lower at HVCs during 2004 to 2006 (0.31) and 2007 to 2009 (0.34). Mortality for PD performed for cancer decreased from 6.6 to 4.6 per cent ( P = 0.31). Major morbidity was not significantly different between groups within either time period; however, there was a significant increase in major morbidity at low-volume centers ( P = 0.018). Regionalization of PD for cancer is occurring in North Carolina. Mortality was significantly lower at HVCs, and rapid regionalization has not detracted from the superior outcomes at HVCs.

Prophylactic Pancreatectomies Carry Prohibitive Mortality at Low-Volume Centers: A California Cancer Registry Study

BACKGROUND

Pancreatectomy for malignancy is associated with improved outcomes when performed at high-volume centers. The goal of this study was to assess pancreatectomy outcomes for premalignant cystic lesions as a function of hospital volume.

METHODS

The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) was queried for all pancreatectomies performed in California from 2003 to 2011. Cases were stratified, separating benign versus malignant disease. Hospitals were categorized as low-volume (≤25 pancreatectomies/year; LV) or high-volume (>25; HV) centers. Perioperative morbidity, mortality, and length of stay were compared in HV vs. LV centers.

RESULTS

There were 7554 pancreatectomies performed in 201 hospitals during the study period, where 5652 (75%) procedures were performed for malignancy, 338 (4%) for chronic pancreatitis, and 1564 (21%) for benign/premalignant cysts. The majority of pancreatectomies for cystic disease were performed at LV centers (65%). There were no significant differences in length of stay (7 vs. 8 days; p = 0.6) or 90-day readmission rates (12.8% vs. 12.9%; p = 1.0) in HV versus LV centers. However, there were higher surgical (46.2% LV vs. 41.1% HV, p = 0.05) and medical (13.3% LV vs. 9.2% HV; p = 0.017) complications at LV centers. Most importantly, there was a fourfold higher in-hospital mortality at LV centers (2.36% vs. 0.55%; p = 0.007).

CONCLUSION

Pancreatic resection for benign lesions at HV hospitals is associated with significantly lower morbidity and mortality, suggesting that when feasible, patients should seek care at high-volume centers for these semi-elective surgeries.

Optimizing the Volume-Value Relationship in Laminectomy: An Evidence-Based Analysis of Outcomes and Economies of Scale

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the present study was to establish evidence-based volume thresholds for surgeons and hospitals predictive of enhanced value in the setting of laminectomy.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA

Previous studies have attempted to characterize the relationship between volume and value; however, none to the authors' knowledge has employed an evidence-based approach to identify thresholds yielding enhanced value.

METHODS

In total, 67,758 patients from the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System database undergoing laminectomy in the period 2009 to 2015 were included. We used stratum-specific likelihood ratio analysis of receiver operating characteristic curves to establish volume thresholds predictive of increased length of stay (LOS) and cost for surgeons and hospitals.

RESULTS

Analysis of LOS by surgeon volume produced strata at: <17 (low), 17 to 40 (medium), 41 to 71 (high), and >71 (very high). Analysis of cost by surgeon volume produced strata at: <17 (low), 17 to 33 (medium), 34 to 86 (high), and >86 (very high). Analysis of LOS by hospital volume produced strata at: <43 (very low), 43 to 96 (low), 97 to 147 (medium), 148 to 172 (high), and >172 (very high). Analysis of cost by hospital volume produced strata at: <43 (very low), 43 to 82 (low), 83 to 115 (medium), 116 to 169 (high), and >169 (very high). LOS and cost decreased significantly (P < 0.05) in progressively higher volume categories for both surgeons and hospitals. For LOS, medium-volume surgeons handle the largest proportion of laminectomies (36%), whereas very high-volume hospitals handle the largest proportion (48%).

CONCLUSION

This study supports a direct volume-value relationship for surgeons and hospitals in the setting of laminectomy. These findings provide target-estimated thresholds for which hospitals and surgeons may receive meaningful return on investment in our increasingly value-based system. Further value-based optimization is possible in the finding that while the highest volume hospitals handle the largest proportion of laminectomies, the highest volume surgeons do not.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

3.

[Does hospital volume correlate with surgical process time? : Retrospective analysis of the five most common procedures for visceral surgery, trauma and orthopedic surgery and gynecology/obstetrics from the benchmarking program of the Berufsverband Deutscher Anästhesisten (BDA), Berufsverband Deutscher Chirurgen (BDC) and Verband für OP-Management (VOPM)]

BACKGROUND

Minimum volume thresholds for specific surgical procedures in German hospitals were established in 2004 but remain controversial. For the first time, this study investigated the relationship between hospital performance volume and surgical procedure duration in a multicenter approach. The question here was whether a concentration on frequently performed procedures leads to a reduction in surgical process times.

METHODS

In a retrospective analysis, the 5 most common procedures from visceral, trauma/orthopedic and gynecological/obstetrics surgery were examined in hospitals participating in a benchmarking program. For each procedure performed between 2013 and 2015, hospitals were divided into 4 groups depending on the hospital volume provided. The average surgical duration of incision to suture time was calculated between the group with "very low" hospital volume and the other three groups ("low", "high" and "very high").

RESULTS

OR cases from 75 hospitals were analyzed. The number of included cases per procedure ranged from 31,940 to 2705. The average number of operations performed in a specific procedure was 3-4 times higher in high-volume hospitals compared to very low-volume hospitals. A linear relationship between hospital volume and surgical process time only appeared to be clearly seen in laparoscopic cholecystectomy, appendectomy and arthroscopic meniscus surgery: a higher case load led to a reduction in incision to suture time. For the other procedures, the surgical process times were inconsistent between the hospital groups.

CONCLUSION

The case volume only appeared to have a direct but limited influence on incision to suture times in laparoscopic and arthroscopic procedures. Overall, the hospital performance volume appeared to be of subordinate importance in terms of OR-economics.

Adult lung transplantation case-volume and in-hospital and long-term mortality in Korea

Background

The inverse relationship between case-volume and surgical mortality has been reported in complex surgical procedures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of case-volume on mortality after lung transplantation in Korea.

Methods

The National Health Insurance Service data was used to analyse all adult lung transplantations in Korea between 2007 and 2016. Institutions were categorized into low-volume (< 5 lung transplantations/year) centers or high-volume (≥ 5 lung transplantations/year) centers. Risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality and long-term survival according to case-volume was evaluated.

Results

A total of 315 adult recipients underwent lung transplantation at 7 centers. The odds ratio for in-hospital mortality in low-volume centers was similar to high-volume centers (OR, 1.496; 95% CI, 0.81–2.76; p = 0.197). Log-rank analysis of Kaplan-Meier curves according to case-volume also did not show a difference in long-term survival between high- and low-volume centers (p = 0.052).

Conclusions

There was no association between case-volume and in-hospital mortality after lung transplantation in Korea, although there was a tendency towards better long-term survival associated with high-volume centers.

Neurosurgical Resident Exposure to Pediatric Neurosurgery: An Analysis of Resident Case Logs

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this study is to identify the national trends of exposure to pediatric procedures during neurosurgical residency and to subsequently evaluate how neurosurgery residents' experiences correlate with the minimum requirements set forth by the American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

METHODS

ACGME resident case logs from residents graduating between 2013 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. These reports were analyzed to determine trends in resident operative experience in pediatric procedures. The number of cases performed by residents was compared to the required minimums set by the ACGME within each pediatric surgical category. A linear regression analysis and t tests were utilized to analyze the change in cases performed over the study period.

RESULTS

A mean of 98.8 procedures were performed for each of the 877 residents graduating between 2013 and 2017. The total number of pediatric procedures declined at a rate of 1.7 cases/year (r2 = 0.77, p = 0.05). Spine and cerebrospinal fluid diversion procedures showed decreasing trends at rates of 1.9 (r2 = 0.70, p = 0.08) and 1.2 (r2 = 0.70, p = 0.08) cases/year, respectively. The number of trauma and brain tumor cases were shown to have increasing rates at 1.0 (r2 = 0.86, p = 0.02) and 0.3 (r2 = 0.69, p = 0.08) cases/year, respectively, with trauma cases showing significant increases. There was also a trend of increasing cases logged as the lead resident surgeon by 12.9 cases/year (r2 = 0.99, p < 0.001). The number of cases performed by the average graduating resident was also significantly higher than the minimums required by the ACGME; residents, on average, performed 3 times the required minimum number of pediatric cases.

CONCLUSION

Neurosurgical residents graduating from 2013 to 2017 reported significantly higher volumes of pediatric neurosurgery cases than the standards set for by the ACGME. During this time, there was also a significant trend of increasing cases logged as the lead resident surgeon, suggesting more involvement in the critical portions of pediatric cases. There was also a significant, but not clinically impactful, decrease in pediatric case volumes during this time. However, the overall data indicate that residents are continuing to gain valuable pediatric experience during residency training.

Evidence-Based Thresholds for the Volume-Value Relationship in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: Outcomes and Economies of Scale

OBJECTIVES

Increased surgeon and hospital volume has been associated with improved patient outcomes and cost effectiveness for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). However, no evidence-based thresholds that clarify the volume at which these strata occur exist. The objective of this study was to establish statistically meaningful thresholds that define high-volume surgeons and hospitals performing spinal fusion for AIS from those that are low volume with respect to length of stay (LOS) and cost.

METHODS

Using 3,224 patients undergoing spinal fusion for AIS from an administrative database, we created and applied four models using stratum-specific likelihood ratio (SSLR) analysis of a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. We generated four sets of thresholds predictive of adverse outcomes, namely, increased cost and LOS, for both surgeon and hospital volume.

RESULTS

For both LOS and cost, surgeon volume produced the same strata with low volume identified as 0-5 annual surgeries and high as greater than 5. LOS and cost decreased significantly (p < .05) between volume strata. For hospital volume in terms of LOS, low volume was identified as 0-10 annual surgeries and high as greater than 10; in terms of cost, low volume was identified as 0-15 annual surgeries and high as greater than 15. LOS decreased significantly (p < .05) and cost was $1,500 less but not statistically significant between volume strata for hospital volume.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study of risk-based volume stratification established a direct volume-value relationship for surgeons and hospitals performing fusion for AIS. A meaningful threshold for low- and high-volume surgeons was established at 5 annual surgeries, but no consensus or clinically meaningful conclusion was reached for hospitals, although the threshold approached 10-15 annual surgeries. This analysis should aid patients, surgeons, and administration reach value-based decisions in the optimal delivery of pediatric spinal fusion for AIS.

Impact of postoperative complications on long-term survival following surgery for T4 colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Postoperative complications (POCs) after the resection of locally advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) may influence adjuvant treatment timing, outcomes, and survival. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of POCs on long-term outcomes in patients surgically treated for T4 CRC.

METHODS

All consecutive patients who underwent the resection of T4 CRC at a single centre from 2004 to 2013 were retrospectively analysed from a prospectively maintained database. POCs were assessed using the Clavien-Dindo classification. Patients who developed POCs were compared with those who did not in terms of recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

The study population comprised 106 patients, including 79 (74.5%) with synchronous distant metastases. Overall, 46 patients (43%) developed at least one POC during the hospital stay, and of those patients, 9 (20%) had severe complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥ grade III). POCs were not associated with OS (65% with POCs vs. 69% without POCs; p = 0.72) or RFS (58% with POCs vs. 70% without POCs; p = 0.37). Similarly, POCs did not affect OS or RFS in patients who had synchronous metastases at diagnosis compared with those who did not.

CONCLUSIONS

POCs do not affect the oncological course of patients subjected to the resection of T4 CRC, even in cases of synchronous metastases.

Fixed and Variable Relationship Models to Define the Volume-Value Relationship in Spinal Fusion Surgery: A Macroeconomic Analysis Using Evidence-Based Thresholds

Objective

Increased surgical volume has been associated with improved patient outcomes at the surgeon and hospital level. To date, clinically meaningful stratified volume benchmarks have yet to be defined for surgeons or hospitals in the context of spinal fusion surgery. The objective of this study was to establish evidence-based thresholds using outcomes and cost to stratify surgeons and hospitals performing spinal fusion surgery by volume.

Methods

Using 155,788 patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery, we created and applied 4 models using stratum-specific likelihood ratio (SSLR) analysis of a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. This statistical approach was used to generate 4 sets of volume thresholds predictive of increased length of stay (LOS) and increased cost for surgeons and hospitals.

Results

SSLR analysis of the 2 ROC curves by annual surgical volume produced 3 or 4 distinct volume categories. Analysis of LOS by annual surgeon spinal fusion volume produced 4 strata: low, medium, high, and very high. Analysis of LOS by annual hospital spinal fusion volume produced 3 strata: low, medium, and high. No relationship between volume and cost could be clearly defined based on the generation of ROC curves for surgeons or hospitals offering spinal fusion.

Conclusion

This study used evidence-based thresholds to identify a direct, variable relationship model between volume and outcomes of spinal fusion surgery, using LOS as a surrogate, for both surgeons and hospitals. A fixed relationship model was identified between surgeon and hospital volume and cost, as no statistically meaningful relationship could be established.

An observational study of the timing of surgery, use of laparoscopy and outcomes for acute cholecystitis in the USA and UK

BACKGROUND

Evidence supports early laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis. Differences in treatment patterns between the USA and UK, associated outcomes and resource utilization are not well understood.

METHODS

In this retrospective, observational study using national administrative data, emergency patients admitted with acute cholecystitis were identified in England (Hospital Episode Statistics 1998-2012) and USA (National Inpatient Sample 1998-2011). Proportions of patients who underwent emergency cholecystectomy, utilization of laparoscopy and associated outcomes including length of stay (LOS) and complications were compared. The effect of delayed treatment on subsequent readmissions was evaluated for England.

RESULTS

Patients with a diagnosis of acute cholecystitis totaled 1,191,331 in the USA vs. 288 907 in England. Emergency cholecystectomy was performed in 628,395 (52.7% USA) and 45,299 (15.7% England) over the time period. Laparoscopy was more common in the USA (82.8 vs. 37.9%; p < 0.001). Pre-treatment (1 vs. 2 days; p < 0.001) and total ( 4 vs. 7 days; p < 0.001) LOS was lower in the USA. Overall incidence of bile duct injury was higher in England than the USA (0.83 vs. 0.43%; p < 0.001), but was no different following laparoscopic surgery (0.1%). In England, 40.5% of patients without an immediate cholecystectomy were subsequently readmitted with cholecystitis. An additional 14.5% were admitted for other biliary complications, amounting to 2.7 readmissions per patient in the year following primary admission.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights management practices for acute cholecystitis in the USA and England. Despite best evidence, index admission laparoscopic cholecystectomy is performed less in England, which significantly impacts subsequent healthcare utilization.

Evidence-based thresholds for the volume-value relationship in shoulder arthroplasty: outcomes and economies of scale

BACKGROUND

Whereas several studies suggest that high-volume surgeons and hospitals deliver superior patient outcomes with greater cost efficiency, no evidence-based thresholds separating high-volume surgeons and hospitals from those that are low or medium volume exist in shoulder arthroplasty. The objective of this study was to establish meaningful thresholds that take outcomes and cost into consideration for surgeons and hospitals performing shoulder arthroplasty.

METHODS

Using 9546 patients undergoing primary shoulder arthroplasty for osteoarthritis from an administrative database, we created and applied 4 models using stratum-specific likelihood ratio (SSLR) analysis of a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. We generated 4 sets of thresholds predictive of adverse outcomes, namely, increased length of stay (LOS) and increased cost for both surgeon and hospital volume.

RESULTS

SSLR analysis of the 4 ROC curves by surgeon volume produced 3 volume categories. LOS and cost by annual shoulder arthroplasty surgeon volume produced the same strata: 0-4 (low), 5-14 (medium), and 15 or more (high). LOS and cost by annual shoulder arthroplasty hospital volume produced the same strata: 0-3 (low), 4-14 (medium), and 15 or more (high). LOS and cost decreased significantly (P < .05) in progressively higher volume categories.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study validates economies of scale in shoulder arthroplasty by demonstrating a direct relationship between volume and value through SSLR analysis of ROC curves for risk-based volume stratification using meaningful volume definitions for low-, medium-, and high-volume surgeons and hospitals. The described volume-value relationship offers patients, surgeons, hospitals, and other stakeholders meaningful thresholds for the optimal delivery of shoulder arthroplasty.

Systematic review and a meta-analysis of hospital and surgeon volume/outcome relationships in colorectal cancer surgery

BACKGROUND

Numerous hospitals worldwide are considering setting minimum volume standards for colorectal surgery. This study aims to examine the association between hospital and surgeon volume on outcomes for colorectal surgery.

METHODS

Two investigators independently reviewed six databases from inception to May 2016 for articles that reported outcomes according to hospital and/or surgeon volume. Eligible studies included those in which assessed the association hospital or surgeon volume with outcomes for the surgical treatment of colon and/or rectal cancer. Random effects models were used to pool the hazard ratios (HRs) for the association between hospital/surgeon volume with outcomes.

RESULTS

There were 47 articles pooled (1,122,303 patients, 9,877 hospitals and 9,649 surgeons). The meta-analysis demonstrated that there is a volume-outcome relationship that favours high volume facilities and high volume surgeons. Higher hospital and surgeon volume resulted in reduced 30-day mortality (HR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.78-0.87, P<0.001 & HR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.80-0.89, P<0.001 respectively) and intra-operative mortality (HR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.76-0.86, P<0.001 & HR: 0.50; 95% CI: 0.40-0.62, P<0.001 respectively). Post-operative complication rates depended on hospital volume (HR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.81-0.98, P<0.05), but not surgeon volume except with respect to anastomotic leak (HR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.37-0.94, P<0.01). High volume surgeons are associated with greater 5-year survival and greater lymph node retrieval, whilst reducing recurrence rates, operative time, length of stay and cost. The best outcomes occur in high volume hospitals with high volume surgeons, followed by low volume hospitals with high volume surgeons.

CONCLUSIONS

High volume by surgeon and high volume by hospital are associated with better outcomes for colorectal cancer surgery. However, this relationship is non-linear with no clear threshold of effect being identified and an apparent ceiling of effect.

[Patient volume and quality in surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm]

BACKGROUND Patient volume is assumed to affect quality, whereby complex procedures are best performed by those who perform them frequently. We have conducted a systematic review of the research on the association between patient volume and quality of vascular surgery. In this article we describe the outcomes for abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery.MATERIAL AND METHOD We undertook systematic searches in relevant databases. We searched for systematic reviews, and randomised and observational studies. The search was concluded in December 2015. We have summarised the results descriptively and assessed the overall quality of the evidence.RESULTS Forty-six observational studies fulfilled our inclusion criteria. We found a possible association for both hospital and surgeon volume. Higher patient volume may possibly be associated with lower 30-day mortality and lower hospital mortality for both open and endovascular surgery. Although the association appears to apply to both elective and acute hospitalisations, there is greater uncertainty with regard to the most ill patients. For hospital volume there may also be fewer complications for open and endovascular surgery, as well as for all surgery assessed as a whole. We considered the evidence base to be medium to very low quality.INTERPRETATION We found a possible correlation between patient volume and quality indicators such as mortality and complications. It may be advantageous to allocate planned procedures to institutions and surgeons with high volume, while this is less certain with regard to acute hospitalisations.

Unplanned Readmissions Following Outpatient Hand and Elbow Surgery

BACKGROUND

Unplanned readmission following surgery is a quality metric that helps surgeons assess initiatives targeted at improving patient care. We utilized the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database to determine the rates, causes, and predictors of unplanned 30-day readmissions after outpatient elective hand and elbow surgery.

METHODS

The ACS-NSQIP database was queried using hand-and-elbow-specific Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes to retrospectively identify patients who had undergone outpatient hand or elbow surgery in 2012 and 2013. Patients who required an unplanned readmission to the hospital within 30 days were compared with those who were not readmitted. Preoperative patient characteristics, intraoperative variables, complications, and mortality were compared between the cohorts. Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine independent associations with 30-day unplanned readmission.

RESULTS

A total of 14,106 outpatient hand or elbow surgery procedures were identified between 2012 and 2013, and 169 (1.2%) of them were followed by an unplanned readmission. The leading causes of readmission included postoperative infections (19.5%), pain (4.7%), thromboembolic events (4.1%), and pulmonary complications (3.0%). The causes of approximately 1/3 of the readmissions were missing from the database, and these readmissions were likely unrelated to the principal procedure. Independent predictors of readmission included an age of 70 to 84 years (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.67 to 4.78), smoking (HR = 2.23, 95% CI = 1.57 to 3.18), a lower hematocrit (HR = 2.19, 95% CI = 1.38 to 3.46), renal dialysis (HR = 3.32, 95% CI = 1.60 to 6.91), and an elbow procedure (with or without a hand procedure) (HR = 2.19, 95% CI = 1.57 to 3.04).

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of unplanned readmission following outpatient hand and elbow surgery is low. Several modifiable factors, including preoperative smoking and anemia, are associated with unplanned readmission. These data may be helpful in developing quality-control initiatives to target unplanned readmissions following hand and elbow procedures.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Specialty-Based Variations in Spinal Cord Stimulation Success Rates for Treatment of Chronic Pain

OBJECTIVES

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has emerged as an appropriate modality of treatment for intractable chronic pain. The present study examines variations in SCS trial-to-permanent conversion rates based on provider types performing the procedure.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We designed a large, retrospective analysis using the Truven MarketScan data base analyzing adult SCS patients with provider information available, with or without IPG implantation from the years 2007-2012. Patients were categorized based on provider type performing the implantation including anesthesiologists, neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, and physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R). Univariate and multivariate models identified factors associated with successful conversion.

RESULTS

A total of 7667 unique instances of SCS implants were identified across five providers. Overall, 4842 (63.2%) of those receiving trials underwent permanent SCS system implantation. Anesthesiology performed the majority of implants (62.8%), followed by neurosurgery (22.0%), orthopedic surgery (10.2%), and PM&R (5.3%). Compared to anesthesiologists, both neurosurgeons (OR 10.99, 95% CI [9.11, 13.25]; p < 0.001) and orthopedic surgeons (OR 4.64, 95% CI [3.81, 5.65]; p < 0.001) had significantly higher conversion rates, while PM&R (OR 0.71, 95% CI [0.58, 0.87]; p = 0.001) had significantly lower. Percutaneous implants comprised 5473 (71.4%) of all implants. Neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons performed a significantly greater number of paddle implants among the different providers (p < 0.0001). Explant rates were similar across all cohorts analyzed (average 11.6%; p = 0.546).

CONCLUSIONS

In this nationwide analysis, our results suggest that over a recent five-year period, conversion rates are highest when SCS trials are performed by neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons. The study has important implications for establishing uniform guidelines for training, patient selection, and education of physicians across multiple disciplines.

Case mix-adjusted cost of colectomy at low-, middle-, and high-volume academic centers

BACKGROUND

Efforts to regionalize surgery based on thresholds in procedure volume may have consequences on the cost of health care delivery. This study aims to delineate the relationship between hospital volume, case mix, and variability in the cost of operative intervention using colectomy as the model.

METHODS

All patients undergoing colectomy (n = 90,583) at 183 academic hospitals from 2009-2012 in The University HealthSystems Consortium Database were studied. Patient and procedure details were used to generate a case mix-adjusted predictive model of total direct costs. Observed to expected costs for each center were evaluated between centers based on overall procedure volume.

RESULTS

Patient and procedure characteristics were significantly different between volume tertiles. Observed costs at high-volume centers were less than at middle- and low-volume centers. According to our predictive model, high-volume centers cared for a less expensive case mix than middle- and low-volume centers ($12,786 vs $13,236 and $14,497, P < .01). Our predictive model accounted for 44% of the variation in costs. Overall efficiency (standardized observed to expected costs) was greatest at high-volume centers compared to middle- and low-volume tertiles (z score -0.16 vs 0.02 and -0.07, P < .01).

CONCLUSION

Hospital costs and cost efficiency after an elective colectomy varies significantly between centers and may be attributed partially to the patient differences at those centers. These data demonstrate that a significant proportion of the cost variation is due to a distinct case mix at low-volume centers, which may lead to perceived poor performance at these centers.

Evaluating cumulative and annual surgeon volume in laparoscopic cholecystectomy

BACKGROUND

Although there is a large body of published data demonstrating improved outcomes for complex operations when performed by high-volume surgeons at high-volume hospitals, the literature is mixed regarding whether this same relationship applies in less complex and more common surgeries such as laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

METHODS

This study utilized the New York State Department of Health Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System database to identify patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute and chronic biliary pathology. Rates of perioperative outcomes were compared among 4 distinct categories of surgeons based on surgeon annual and cumulative volume: low cumulative/low annual, low cumulative/high annual, high cumulative/low annual, and high cumulative/high annual.

RESULTS

A total of 150,938 patients undergoing operation by 3,306 surgeons at 250 hospitals across New York state were included for analysis from 2000-2014. There was no difference in adjusted 30-day in-hospital mortality, major events, procedural complications, bile duct injury, or reintervention rates between the 4 groups of surgeons. However, patients undergoing operation by high cumulative/high annual volume surgeons were less likely to experience 30-day readmission, prolonged duration of stay, and high charges when compared with low cumulative/low annual volume surgeons.

CONCLUSION

In New York state, increased surgeon annual and cumulative volume predicts lower rates of 30-day readmission, prolonged duration of stay, and high charges in laparoscopic cholecystectomy, but has no effect on in-hospital mortality, major events, bile duct injury, procedural complications, or reintervention. There is no evidence to support regionalization of this procedure as operative outcomes are comparable even in less experienced hands.

Peri- and postoperative management of stage I-III Non Small Cell Lung Cancer: Which quality of care indicators are evidence-based?

Quality of care (QoC) has a central role in our health care system. The aim of this review is to present a set of evidence-based quality indicators for the surgical treatment and postoperative management of lung cancer. A search was performed through PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane library database, including English literature, published between 1980 and 2012. Search terms regarding 'lung neoplasms', 'surgical treatment' and 'quality of care' were used. Potential QoC indicators were divided into structure, process or outcome measures and a final selection was made based upon the level of evidence. High hospital volume and surgery performed by a thoracic surgeon, were identified as important structure indicators. Sleeve resection instead of pneumonectomy and the importance of treatment within a clinical care path setting were identified as evidence-based process indicators. A symptom-based follow-up regime was identified as a new QoC indicator. These indicators can be used for registration, benchmarking and ultimately quality improvement in lung cancer surgery.

Impact of surgical volume of centers on post-operative outcomes from cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intra-peritoneal chemoperfusion

Complex surgical operations performed at centers of high volume have improved outcomes due to improved surgical proficiency, and betters systems of care including avoidance of errors. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intra-peritoneal chemoperfusion (HIPEC), which has been shown to be an oncologically effective strategy for peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC), is one such procedure with significant morbidity and mortality. The learning curve to reach technical proficiency in CRS + HIPEC is about 140-220 cases for a center. Focus on improving surgical proficiency through training, improving systems of care through partnerships and reporting mechanisms for quality could reduce the time to proficiency.

Procedural volume and survival after lung transplantation in the United States: the need to look beyond volume in the establishment of quality metrics

BACKGROUND

We sought to evaluate the effect of center volume on patient survival.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis on nationwide data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients provided by United Network for Organ Sharing pertaining to lung transplantation (LT) recipients transplanted between 2005 and 2013. Centers were categorized into 4 groups based on their annual volume as follows: less than 20, 20 to 29, 30 to 39, and greater than or equal to 40 LTs. Baseline characteristics were compared and Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate survival.

RESULTS

A total of 13,506 adult recipients underwent LT during the study period. Of these, 2,491 (18.4%) patients were transplanted in centers with volume less than 20, 2,562 (19.0%) in centers with volume 20 to 29, 2,998 (22.2%) in centers with volume 30 to 39, and 5,455(40.4%) in centers with volume greater than or equal to 40. Survival was poorest in the lowest volume centers (1-year 81.4% vs 85.5% and 5-year 49.7% vs 56.5%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Post-LT survival in low volume centers is significantly lower than in high volume centers but the explanatory power of volume as a predictor of survival is low.

Quality improvement 101 for surgeons: Navigating the alphabet soup

It is a fundamental value of the surgical profession to improve care for its patients. In the last 100 years, the principles of prospective quality improvement have started to work their way into the traditional method of retrospective case review in morbidity and mortality conference. This article summarizes the history of "improvement science" and its intersection with the field of surgery. It attempts to clarify the principles and jargon that may be new or confusing to surgeons with a different vocabulary and experience. This is done to bring the significant power and resources of improvement science to the traditional efforts to improve surgical care.

Volume-outcome relationship in pancreatic surgery

BACKGROUND

Volume-outcome relationships related to major surgery may be of limited value if observation ends at the point of discharge without taking transfers and later events into consideration.

METHODS

The volume-outcome relationship in patients who underwent pancreatic surgery between 2008 and 2010 was assessed using claims data for all inpatient episodes from Germany's largest provider of statutory health insurance covering about 30 per cent of the population. Multiple logistic regression models with random effects were used to analyse the effect of hospital volume (using volume quintiles) on 1-year mortality, adjusting for age, sex, primary disease, type of surgery and co-morbidities. Additional outcomes were in-hospital (including transfer to other hospitals until final discharge) and 90-day mortality.

RESULTS

Of 9566 patients identified, risk-adjusted 1-year mortality was significantly higher in the three lowest-volume quintiles compared with the highest-volume quintile (odds ratio 1·73, 1·53 and 1·37 respectively). A similar, but less pronounced, effect was demonstrated for in-hospital and 90-day mortality. The effect of hospital volume on 1-year mortality was comparable to the effect of co-morbid conditions such as renal failure.

CONCLUSION

Although mortality related to pancreatic surgery is influenced by many factors, this study demonstrated lower mortality at 1 year in high-volume centres in Germany.

Temporal Changes in the Influence of Hospitals and Regional Healthcare Networks on Severe Sepsis Mortality

OBJECTIVES

There is systematic variation between hospitals in their care of severe sepsis, but little information on whether this variation impacts sepsis-related mortality, or how hospitals' and health-systems' impacts have changed over time. We examined whether hospital and regional organization of severe sepsis care is associated with meaningful differences in 30-day mortality in a large integrated health care system, and the extent to which those effects are stable over time.

DESIGN

In this retrospective cohort study, we used risk- and reliability-adjusted hierarchical logistic regression to estimate hospital- and region-level random effects after controlling for severity of illness using a rich mix of administrative and clinical laboratory data.

SETTING

One hundred fourteen U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals in 21 geographic regions.

PATIENTS

Forty-three thousand seven hundred thirty-three patients with severe sepsis in 2012, compared to 33,095 such patients in 2008.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

The median hospital in the worst quintile of performers had a risk-adjusted 30-day mortality of 16.7% (95% CI, 13.5%, 20.5%) in 2012 compared with the best quintile, which had a risk-adjusted mortality of 12.8% (95% CI, 10.7%, 15.3%). Hospitals and regions explained a statistically and clinically significant proportion of the variation in patient outcomes. Thirty-day mortality after severe sepsis declined from 18.3% in 2008 to 14.7% in 2012 despite very similar severity of illness between years. The proportion of the variance in sepsis-related mortality explained by hospitals and regions was stable between 2008 and 2012.

CONCLUSIONS

In this large integrated healthcare system, there is clinically significant variation in sepsis-related mortality associated with hospitals and regions. The proportion of variance explained by hospitals and regions has been stable over time, although sepsis-related mortality has declined.

Association of risk factors with unfavorable outcomes after resection of adult benign intradural spine tumors and the effect of hospital volume on outcomes: an analysis of 18, 297 patients across 774 US hospitals using the National Inpatient Sample (2002−2011)

OBJECT

Because of the limited data available regarding the associations between risk factors and the effect of hospital case volume on outcomes after resection of intradural spine tumors, the authors attempted to identify these associations by using a large population-based database.

METHODS

Using the National Inpatient Sample database, the authors performed a retrospective cohort study that involved patients who underwent surgery for an intradural spinal tumor between 2002 and 2011. Using national estimates, they identified associations of patient demographics, medical comorbidities, and hospital characteristics with inpatient postoperative outcomes. In addition, the effect of hospital volume on unfavorable outcomes was investigated. Hospitals that performed fewer than 14 resections in adult patients with an intradural spine tumor between 2002 and 2011 were labeled as low-volume centers, whereas those that performed 14 or more operations in that period were classified as high-volume centers (HVCs). These cutoffs were based on the median number of resections performed by hospitals registered in the National Inpatient Sample during the study period.

RESULTS

Overall, 18,297 patients across 774 hospitals in the United States underwent surgery for an intradural spine tumor. The mean age of the cohort was 56.53 ± 16.28 years, and 63% were female. The inpatient postoperative risks included mortality (0.3%), discharge to rehabilitation (28.8%), prolonged length of stay (> 75th percentile) (20.0%), high-end hospital charges (> 75th percentile) (24.9%), wound complications (1.2%), cardiac complications (0.6%), deep vein thrombosis (1.4%), pulmonary embolism (2.1%), and neurological complications, including durai tears (2.4%). Undergoing surgery at an HVC was significantly associated with a decreased chance of inpatient mortality (OR 0.39; 95% CI 0.16−0.98), unfavorable discharge (OR 0.86; 95% CI 0.76−0.98), prolonged length of stay (OR 0.69; 95% CI 0.62−0.77), high-end hospital charges (OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.60−0.74), neurological complications (OR 0.34; 95% CI 0.26−0.44), deep vein thrombosis (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.45−0.94), wound complications (OR 0.59; 95% CI 0.41−0.86), and gastrointestinal complications (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.46−0.92).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study provide individualized estimates of the risks of postoperative complications based on patient demographics and comorbidities and hospital characteristics and shows a decreased risk for most unfavorable outcomes for those who underwent surgery at an HVC. These findings could be used as a tool for risk stratification, directing presurgical evaluation, assisting with surgical decision making, and strengthening referral systems for complex cases.

Can experience improve hospital management?

BACKGROUND

Experience curve effects were first observed in the industrial arena as demonstrations of the relationship between experience and efficiency. These relationships were largely determined by improvements in management efficiency and quality of care. In the health care industry, volume-outcome relationships have been established with respect to quality of care improvement, but little is known about the effects of experience on management efficiency. Here, we examine the relationship between experience and hospital management in Japanese hospitals.

METHODS

The study sample comprised individuals who had undergone surgery for unruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms and had been discharged from participant hospitals between April 1, 2006 and December 31, 2008. We analyzed the association between case volume (both at the hospital and surgeon level) and postoperative complications using multilevel logistic regression analysis. Multilevel log-linear regression analyses were performed to investigate the associations between case volume and length of stay (LOS) before and after surgery.

RESULTS

We analyzed 909 patients and 849 patients using the hospital-level and surgeon-level analytical models, respectively. The odds ratio of postoperative complication occurrence for an increase of one surgery annually was 0.981 (P < 0.001) at the hospital level and 0.982 (P < 0.001) at the surgeon level. The log-linear regression analyses showed that shorter postoperative LOS was significantly associated with high hospital-level case volume (coefficient for an increase of one surgery: -0.006, P = 0.009) and surgeon-level case volume (coefficient for an increase of one surgery: -0.011, P = 0.022). Although an increase of one surgery annually at the hospital level was statistically associated with a reduction of preoperative LOS by 1.1% (P = 0.006), there was no significant association detected between surgeon-level case volume and preoperative LOS (P = 0.504).

CONCLUSION

Experience at the hospital level may contribute to the improvement of hospital management efficiency.

Enhancing quality control and performance monitoring in thoracic aortic surgery: a 10-year single institutional experience

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the present study was to monitor performance and learning effects for thoracic aortic surgery. In addition, we evaluated the volume-outcome relationship of patients undergoing surgery of the thoracic aorta, comparing the results of two higher-volume surgeons (HVSs) with six lower volume surgeons.

METHODS

A total of 867 thoracic aortic procedures (elective cases n = 753 and Type A acute dissection n = 114) were performed from 2003 to 2013 by eight surgeons (range 28-238 procedures) at our institution. Departmental and individual performance was monitored using control charts, with a predetermined acceptable failure rate of 10%. Perioperative death or one or more of four adverse events constituted failure. Moreover, results of two higher-volume operators (n = 460; 53%) were compared with those of six lower-volume operators (n = 407; 47%).

RESULTS

The incidence rate of in-hospital mortality for elective cases was 2% and for Type A dissection repair 9.6%. Institutional control charts revealed that the surgical process was under control for all the study periods apart from small periods of worse than expected performance which were congruent with new surgeons joining the programme. The predominant surgical failure was reoperation for bleeding. There were differences between surgeons with regard to the learning curves and performance. No significant differences were observed between high- and low-volume surgeons in terms of mortality and morbidity for elective cases. However, high-volume surgeons presented a trend suggesting a higher mortality rate in Type A aortic dissection repair (17.1 vs 6.3%; P = 0.09).

CONCLUSIONS

Thoracic aortic surgery can be performed with similar results by high- and low-volume surgeon. Control charts can facilitate learning effects and performance monitoring. Implementation of continuous departmental and individual performance monitoring is practicable.

Operative volume in colon surgery: a matched cohort analysis

Although previous studies have suggested that higher volumes of colectomies performed by surgeons and hospitals are associated with lower mortality, less is known about the relationship between volume and resource utilization. The research team tested the association between volume, costs, complications, length of stay, and mortality using data from the National Inpatient Sample. Results suggest higher volumes for both surgeons and hospitals were associated with lower costs, fewer complications, shorter length of stay, and lower mortality. Propensity score matching showed no significant difference in mortality by surgeon volume (7.38% vs 7.46%, P=.0.842), but significantly fewer complications (45.06% vs 49.10%, P=.008), shorter length of stay (11.8 vs 13.1 days, P<.0001), and lower costs ($33,142 vs $29,578, P<.0001) for high-volume surgeons. Although the major driver of complications and mortality is burden of disease and comorbid conditions, individual surgeon volume is an important determinant of length of stay and costs.

History and background of quality measurement

Health care quality measurement has become increasingly emphasized, as providers and administrators respond to public and government demands for improved patient care. This article will review the evolution of surgical quality measurement and improvement from its infancy in the 1850s to the vast efforts being undertaken today.

History and background of quality measurement

Health care quality measurement has become increasingly emphasized, as providers and administrators respond to public and government demands for improved patient care. This article will review the evolution of surgical quality measurement and improvement from its infancy in the 1850s to the vast efforts being undertaken today.

Treatment of stage I and II non-small cell lung cancer: Diagnosis and management of lung cancer, 3rd ed: American College of Chest Physicians evidence-based clinical practice guidelines

BACKGROUND

The treatment of stage I and II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients with good or low surgical risk is primarily surgical resection. However, this area is undergoing many changes. With a greater prevalence of CT imaging, many lung cancers are being found that are small or constitute primarily ground-glass opacities. Treatment such as sublobar resection and nonsurgical approaches such as stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) are being explored. With the advent of minimally invasive resections, the criteria to classify a patient as too ill to undergo an anatomic lung resection are being redefined.

METHODS

The writing panel selected topics for review based on clinical relevance to treatment of early-stage lung cancer and the amount and quality of data available for analysis and relative controversy on best approaches in stage I and II NSCLC: general surgical care vs specialist care; sublobar vs lobar surgical approaches to stage I lung cancer; video-assisted thoracic surgery vs open resection; mediastinal lymph node sampling vs lymphadenectomy at the time of surgical resection; the use of radiation therapy, with a focus on SBRT, for primary treatment of early-stage NSCLC in high-risk or medically inoperable patients as well as adjuvant radiation therapy in the sublobar and lobar resection settings; adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage NSCLC; and the impact of ethnicity, geography, and socioeconomic status on lung cancer survival. Recommendations by the writing committee were based on an evidence-based review of the literature and in accordance with the approach described by the Guidelines Oversight Committee of the American College of Chest Physicians.

RESULTS

Surgical resection remains the primary and preferred approach to the treatment of stage I and II NSCLC. Lobectomy or greater resection remains the preferred approach to T1b and larger tumors. The use of sublobar resection for T1a tumors and the application of adjuvant radiation therapy in this group are being actively studied in large clinical trials. Every patient should have systematic mediastinal lymph node sampling at the time of curative intent surgical resection, and mediastinal lymphadenectomy can be performed without increased morbidity. Perioperative morbidity and mortality are reduced and long-term survival is improved when surgical resection is performed by a board-certified thoracic surgeon. The use of adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II NSCLC is recommended and has shown benefit. The use of adjuvant radiation or chemotherapy for stage I NSCLC is of unproven benefit. Primary radiation therapy remains the primary curative intent approach for patients who refuse surgical resection or are determined by a multidisciplinary team to be inoperable. There is growing evidence that SBRT provides greater local control than standard radiation therapy for high-risk and medically inoperable patients with NSCLC. The role of ablative therapies in the treatment of high-risk patients with stage I NSCLC is evolving. Radiofrequency ablation, the most studied of the ablative modalities, has been used effectively in medically inoperable patients with small (&lt; 3 cm) peripheral NSCLC that are clinical stage I.

Does concentration of surgical expertise improve outcomes for laparoscopic cholecystectomy? 9 year audit cycle

BACKGROUND

Evidence from surgery shows that high volume is often associated with better outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate this principle related to elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy practice.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of all conversions and complications for patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed. Data was collected and then repeated after restrictions were implemented to concentrate practice. Hospital databases and patient notes were used to collect data.

RESULTS

Between January 1999 and March 2004, 1605 laparoscopic cholecystectomies were performed by 8 surgeons. Case load varied from an average of <1 to 104 procedures per annum. Only 1 surgeon was an upper gastrointestinal specialist. Overall rates for conversion to open surgery were 4.9%, common bile duct injury was 0.31%, bile leak 0.75%, bowel injury 0.25%, haemorrhage 0.44% and death 0.06%, which met guidelines. Significant correlation between conversion and procedure number was identified (p=0.033) Between April 2006 and March 2010, 1820 laparoscopic cholecystectomies were performed by 4 surgeons. Case load varied from 23 to 268 procedures per annum, 2 surgeons were upper gastrointestinal specialists. Overall rates for conversion to open surgery were 3.5%, common bile duct injury 0.1%, bile leak 0.9%, bowel injury 0.21%, haemorrhage 0.16% and death 0.1%. Conversion rates were significantly lower in re-audit data (p=0.027), but remained lowest for the highest volume sub-specialist surgeons (p=0.016).

CONCLUSIONS

Concentrating expertise to those surgeons with interest and commitment to laparoscopic cholecystectomy service led to standardisation and reduction in conversion rates. There is correlation between volume of surgery and outcomes.

Variation in outcomes across centers after surgery for lumbar stenosis and degenerative spondylolisthesis in the spine patient outcomes research trial

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective review of a prospectively collected database.

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether short- and long-term outcomes after surgery for lumbar stenosis (SPS) and degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS) vary across centers.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA

Surgery has been shown to be of benefit for both SPS and DS. For both conditions, surgery often consists of laminectomy with or without fusion. Potential differences in outcomes of these overlapping procedures across various surgical centers have not yet been investigated.

METHODS

Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial cohort participants with a confirmed diagnosis of SPS or DS undergoing surgery were followed from baseline at 6 weeks, 3, 6, and 12 months, and yearly thereafter, at 13 spine clinics in 11 US states. Baseline characteristics and short- and long-term outcomes were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 793 patients underwent surgery. Significant differences were found between centers with regard to patient race, body mass index, treatment preference, neurological deficit, stenosis location, severity, and number of stenotic levels. Significant differences were also found in operative duration and blood loss, the incidence of durotomy, the length of hospital stay, and wound infection. When baseline differences were adjusted for, significant differences were still seen between centers in changes in patient functional outcome (Short Form-36 bodily pain and physical function, and Oswestry Disability Index) at 1 year after surgery. In addition, the cumulative adjusted change in the Oswestry Disability Index Score at 4 years significantly differed among centers, with Short Form-36 scores trending toward significance.

CONCLUSION

There is a broad and statistically significant variation in short- and long-term outcomes after surgery for SPS and DS across various academic centers, when statistically significant baseline differences are adjusted for. The findings suggest that the choice of center affects outcome after these procedures, although further studies are required to investigate which center characteristics are most important.