Survival rates for 4 common, high-risk surgical procedures vary significantly hospital-to-hospital, according to the findings of a new report from The Leapfrog Group and Castlight Health.
Survival rates for high-risk surgical procedures vary significantly hospital-to-hospital, according to the findings of a new report from The Leapfrog Group and Castlight Health.
The report focused on 4 specific procedures that are both common and high-risk: abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair, aortic valve replacement (AVR), pancreatectomy, and esophagectomy. The report includes predicted survival rates, by hospital, for each type of surgery.
“The frequency of these high-risk surgical procedures is expected to increase as the US population ages, making the report findings that much more important,” Jennifer Schneider, MD, MS, chief medical officer for Castlight Health, said in a statement. “Beyond the devastating personal and emotional toll of a poor outcome on patients and providers, there is the notable financial burden on the US health care system when less-than-optimal care is delivered. By every measure, these findings warrant attention and immediate action.”
Leapfrog found that the variation in the survival rate for a pancreatectomies varies 19 percentage points across hospitals, with predicted survival rates ranging from 81% to 100%. The survival rate for AAA repair varies 13 percentage points from 86% to 99%; for AVR the survival rate varies 5 percentage points from 92% to 97%; and for esophagectomy the survival rate varies 10 percentage points from 88% to 98%.
The predicted survival rate is calculated using the number of patients who had the surgery at a given hospital and the number of those who died after having the procedure at that hospital. The report provided additional steps for hospitals and stakeholders to take to ensure patients receive the best care:
“We strongly encourage consumers to examine their local hospitals’ performance on these high-risk procedures, as the data on survival rates enables patients to gauge their likelihood of surviving each procedure at a given hospital,” Leah Binder, president and chief executive officer of Leapfrog, said.
Government agencies have created an online portal for the public to report potential anticompetitive practices in health care; there are changes coming to the “boxed warning” section for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies (CAR T) to highlight T-cell blood cancer risk; questions about the safety of obesity medications during pregnancy have arisen in women on them who previously struggled with fertility issues.
Read More
Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
Listen
Making Giant Strides in Maternity Health Through Baby Steps
April 9th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are kicking off a special month-long podcast series with our strategic alliance partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our first episode, which is all about the Baby Steps Maternity Program and its mission to support women throughout every step of their pregnancy journey.
Listen
Pegcetacoplan for PNH More Cost-Effective Than Anti-C5 Monoclonal Antibodies
April 18th 2024A cost-utility analysis conducted from the perspective of the Italian health system found that pegcetacoplan was more effective and less costly than 2 complement 5 (C5) inhibitors for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH).
Read More