Overuse of surgery in patients with pancreatic cancer. A nationwide analysis in Italy.

BACKGROUND: According to current guidelines, pancreatic cancer patients should be strictly selected for surgery, either palliative or resective. METHODS: Population-based study, including all patients undergoing surgery for pancreatic cancer in Italy between 2010 and 2012. Hospitals were divided into five volume groups (quintiles), to search for differences among volume categories. RESULTS: There were 544 hospitals performing 10 936 pancreatic cancer operations. The probability of undergoing palliative/explorative surgery was inversely related to volume, being 24.4% in very high-volume hospitals and 62.5% in very low-volume centres (adjusted OR 5.175). Contrarily, the resection rate in patients without metastases decreased from 86.9% to 46.1% (adjusted OR 7.429). As for resections, the mortality of non-resective surgery was inversely related to volume (p < 0.001). Surprisingly, mortality of non-resective surgery was higher than that for resections (8.2% vs. 6.7%; p < 0.01). Approximately 9% of all resections were performed on patients with distant metastases, irrespective of hospital volume group. The excess cost for the National Health System from surgery overuse was estimated at 12.5 million euro. DISCUSSION: Discrepancies between guidelines on pancreatic cancer treatment and surgical practice were observed. An overuse of surgery was detected, with serious clinical and economic consequences.

Performance management and goal ambiguity: managerial implications in a single payer system.

BACKGROUND: Goal ambiguity influences the effectiveness of performance management systems to drive organizations toward enhanced results. The literature analyzes the antecedents of goal ambiguity and shows the influence of goal ambiguity on the performance of U.S. federal agencies. However, no study has analyzed goal ambiguity in other countries or in health care systems. PURPOSE: This study has three aims: to test the validity of a measurement instrument for goal ambiguity, to investigate its main antecedents, and to explore the relationship between goal ambiguity and organizational performance in a large, public, Beveridge-type health care system. METHODOLOGY: A nationwide survey of general managers of the Italian national health system was performed. A factor analysis was used to validate the mono-dimensionality of an instrument that measured goal ambiguity. Structural equation modeling was used to test both the antecedents and the influence of goal ambiguity on organizational performance. RESULTS: Data from 135 health care organizations (53% response rate) were available for analysis. The results confirm the mono-dimensionality of the instrument, the existence of two environmental sources of ambiguity (political endorsement and governance commitment), and the negative relationship between goal ambiguity and organizational performance. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Goal ambiguity matters because it may hamper organizational performance. Therefore, performance should be fostered by reducing goal ambiguity (e.g., goal-setting model, funding arrangements, and political support). Mutatis mutandis, our results may apply to public health care systems of other countries or other "public interest" sectors, such as social care and education.

Whither managerialism in the Italian National Health Service?

In the last decade, the Italian National Health Service has been characterized by the introduction of managerial concepts and techniques, according to the New Public Management paradigm. Recently, these reforms have been increasingly criticized. This article examines the implementation of managerialism in an attempt to evaluate its overall achievements and shortcomings. Overall, managerialism seems to have made good progress: managerial skills are improving; several management tools have been adapted to health-care and public-sector peculiarities; health-care organizations have adopted a wide range of technical solutions to fit their specific needs. At the same time, managerial innovations have often focused on structures as opposed to processes, on the way the organization looks as opposed to the way it works, on the tools it has as opposed to those it actually needs and uses. We thus suggest that research, training and policy-making should stop focusing on the technical features and theoretical virtues of specific tools and should redirect their emphasis on change management.