Advance Care Planning and Treatment Intensity Before Death Among Black, Hispanic, and White Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Black and Hispanic people are more likely to contract COVID-19, require hospitalization, and die than White people due to differences in exposures, comorbidity risk, and healthcare access. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of race and ethnicity with treatment decisions and intensity for patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort analysis of manually abstracted electronic medical records. PATIENTS: 7,997 patients (62% non-Hispanic White, 16% non-Black Hispanic, and 23% Black) hospitalized for COVID-19 at 135 community hospitals between March and June 2020 MAIN MEASURES: Advance care planning (ACP), do not resuscitate (DNR) orders, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, mechanical ventilation (MV), and in-hospital mortality. Among decedents, we classified the mode of death based on treatment intensity and code status as treatment limitation (no MV/DNR), treatment withdrawal (MV/DNR), maximal life support (MV/no DNR), or other (no MV/no DNR). KEY RESULTS: Adjusted in-hospital mortality was similar between White (8%) and Black patients (9%, OR=1.1, 95% CI=0.9-1.4, p=0.254), and lower among Hispanic patients (6%, OR=0.7, 95% CI=0.6-1.0, p=0.032). Black and Hispanic patients were significantly more likely to be treated in the ICU (White 23%, Hispanic 27%, Black 28%) and to receive mechanical ventilation (White 12%, Hispanic 17%, Black 16%). The groups had similar rates of ACP (White 12%, Hispanic 12%, Black 11%), but Black and Hispanic patients were less likely to have a DNR order (White 13%, Hispanic 8%, Black 7%). Among decedents, there were significant differences in mode of death by race/ethnicity (treatment limitation: White 39%, Hispanic 17% (p=0.001), Black 18% (p<0.0001); treatment withdrawal: White 26%, Hispanic 43% (p=0.002), Black 28% (p=0.542); and maximal life support: White 21%, Hispanic 26% (p=0.308), Black 36% (p<0.0001)). CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalized Black and Hispanic COVID-19 patients received greater treatment intensity than White patients. This may have simultaneously mitigated disparities in in-hospital mortality while increasing burdensome treatment near death.

Barriers to high-quality rectal cancer care: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: High quality multidisciplinary care improves outcomes for rectal cancer (RC) but is not consistently provided. Our objective was to understand surgeons' barriers to RC care. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 surgeons from 10 Michigan hospitals. Reports of hospital performance were shared. Interview transcripts were dual coded; data were reduced into emergent themes; and disagreements were resolved by discussion. RESULTS: Barriers to high quality care included negative attitudes, (resistance to change; not taking responsibility) lack of training/experience, complex care coordination, and financial disincentives. Facilitators included providers' positive attitudes and relationships, training/experience, surgeon leadership (development of protocols), patient-level systems of care (patient navigator), and higher-level support (cancer center reviews quality data). Themes were incorporated into an explanatory framework, with patient, provider, and systems domains. CONCLUSIONS: In this qualitative study of RC surgeons, we identified barriers to and facilitators of high-quality care. The framework developed will facilitate the design of quality improvement interventions.

Treatment intensity and mortality among COVID-19 patients with dementia: A retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: We sought to determine whether dementia is associated with treatment intensity and mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. METHODS: This study includes review of the medical records for patients >60 years of age (n = 5394) hospitalized with COVID-19 from 132 community hospitals between March and June 2020. We examined the relationships between dementia and treatment intensity (including intensive care unit [ICU] admission and mechanical ventilation [MV] and care processes that may influence them, including advance care planning [ACP] billing and do-not-resuscitate [DNR] orders) and in-hospital mortality adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, comorbidity, month of hospitalization, and clustering within hospital. We further explored the effect of ACP conversations on the relationship between dementia and outcomes, both at the individual patient level (effect of having ACP) and at the hospital level (effect of being treated at a hospital with low: <10%, medium 10%-20%, or high >20% ACP rates). RESULTS: Ten percent (n = 522) of the patients had documented dementia. Dementia patients were older (>80 years: 60% vs. 27%, p < 0.0001), had a lower burden of comorbidity (3+ comorbidities: 31% vs. 38%, p = 0.003), were more likely to have ACP (28% vs. 17%, p < 0.0001) and a DNR order (52% vs. 22%, p < 0.0001), had similar rates of ICU admission (26% vs. 28%, p = 0.258), were less likely to receive MV (11% vs. 16%, p = 0.001), and more likely to die (22% vs. 14%, p < 0.0001). Differential treatment intensity among patients with dementia was concentrated in hospitals with low, dementia-biased ACP billing practices (risk-adjusted ICU use: 21% vs. 30%, odds ratio [OR] = 0.6, p = 0.016; risk-adjusted MV use: 6% vs. 16%, OR = 0.3, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Dementia was associated with lower treatment intensity and higher mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Differential treatment intensity was concentrated in low ACP billing hospitals suggesting an interplay between provider bias and "preference-sensitive" care for COVID-19.

Preferences for bariatric surgery: comparing surgeons and patients using a discrete choice experiment.

BACKGROUND: Increased attention to shared decision-making is particularly important in bariatric surgery. It is unclear whether the large shift toward sleeve gastrectomy is evidence of good alignment between patient and surgeon preferences. OBJECTIVE: To identify surgeon preferences for risks, benefits, and other attributes of treatment options available for bariatric surgery and to compare results with patient preferences. SETTING: Online survey. METHODS: A discrete choice experiment of weight loss procedures. Each procedure was described by the following set of attributes: (1) treatment method, (2) recovery and reversibility, (3) years treatment has been available, (4) expected weight loss, (5) effect on other medical conditions, (6) risk of complication, (7) side effects, (8) changes to diet, (9) out-of-pocket costs. Participants chose between surgical profiles by comparing attributes. A convenience sample of providers for the online survey was recruited via LISTSERVs of professional associations. RESULTS: Respondents (n = 121) were most likely to select profiles of hypothetical procedures based on the resolution of existing medical conditions and higher expected weight loss. These results align with patient preferences. However, surgeons selected profiles based on lower risk of complications than did patients and surgeons were less sensitive to out-of-pocket costs than patients. CONCLUSIONS: Results show strong alignment between the preferences of patients and the preferences of surgeons when they are asked to stand in the place of their patients. Some differences, especially those related to sensitivity to risk of complications and out-of-pocket costs indicate that shared decision-making would benefit from providers explaining their concerns about surgical risk and from appreciating the concern many patients have about financial costs.

Association of Race With Bariatric Surgery Outcomes.

Importance: The outcomes of bariatric surgery vary considerably across patients, but the association of race with these measures remains unclear. Objective: To examine the association of race on perioperative and 1-year outcomes of bariatric surgery. Design, Setting, and Participants: Propensity score matching was used to assemble cohorts of black and white patients from the Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative who underwent a primary bariatric operation (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, or adjustable gastric banding) between June 2006 and January 2017. Cohorts were balanced on baseline characteristics and procedure. Conditional fixed-effects models were used to evaluate the association of race on outcomes within hospitals and surgeons. Data analysis occurred from June 2006 through August 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures: Thirty-day complications and health care resource utilization measures, as well as 1-year weight loss, comorbidity remission, quality of life, and satisfaction. Results: In each group, 7105 patients were included. Black patients had a higher rate of any complication (628 [8.8%] vs 481 [6.8%]; adjusted odds ratio, 1.33 [95% CI, 1.17-1.51]; P = .02), but there were no significant differences in the rates of serious complications (178 [2.5%] vs 135 [1.9%]; adjusted odds ratio, 1.32 [95% CI, 1.05-1.66]; P = .29) or mortality (5 [0.10%] vs 7 [0.10%]; adjusted odds ratio, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.23-2.31]; P = .54). Black patients had a greater length of stay (mean [SD], 2.2 [3.0] days vs 1.9 [1.7] days; adjusted odds ratio, 0.30 [95% CI, 0.20-0.40]; P < .001), as well as a higher rate of emergency department visits (541 [11.6%] vs 826 [7.6%]; adjusted odds ratio, 1.60 [95% CI, 1.43-1.79]; P < .001) and readmissions (414 [5.8%] vs 245 [3.5%]; adjusted odds ratio, 1.73 [95% CI, 1.47-2.03]; P < .001). At 1 year, black patients had lower mean total body weight loss and as a percentage of weight (32.0 kg [26%]; vs 38.3 kg [29%]; P < .001) and this held true across procedures. Remission of hypertension was lower for black patients (564 [40.0%] vs 1096 [56.0%]; P < .001), but the rate of sleep apnea remission (467 [62.6%] vs 615 [56.1%]; P = .005) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (309 [78.6%] vs 453 [75.4%]; P = .049) were higher. There were no significant differences in remission of diabetes with insulin dependence, diabetes without insulin dependence,or hyperlipidemia hyperlipidemia. Fewer black patients than white patients reported a good or very good quality of life (1379 [87.2%] vs 2133 [90.4%]; P = .002) and being very satisfied with surgery (1908 [78.4%] vs 2895 [84.2%]; P < .001) at 1 year. Conclusions and Relevance: Black patients undergoing bariatric surgery in Michigan had significantly higher rates of 30-day complications and resource utilization and experienced lower weight loss at 1 year than a matched cohort of white patients. While sleep apnea and gastroesophageal reflux disease remission were higher and hypertension remission lower in black patients, comorbidity remission was otherwise similar between matched cohorts. Racial and cultural differences among patients should be considered when designing strategies to optimize outcomes with bariatric surgery.

Variation in Hospital Thromboprophylaxis Practices for Abdominal Cancer Surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Venous thromboembolism remains a prominent cause of morbidity and mortality following cancer surgery. Although evidence-based guidelines recommend major cancer surgery thromboprophylaxis starts before incision and continues at least 7-10 days postoperatively, the extent to which the guidelines are followed is unknown. We assessed variation in thromboprophylaxis practices for abdominal cancer surgery in a regional surgical collaborative. METHODS: We studied abdominal resections for primary gastrointestinal, hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB), and neuroendocrine malignancies in the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative from July 2012 to September 2013 (N = 2967 patients in 52 hospitals). We obtained detailed perioperative and postoperative pharmacologic and mechanical thromboprophylaxis information for patients without documented exemptions (e.g., active bleeding, allergy), and compared differences in procedure mix and operative complexity across hospitals based on their perioperative thromboprophylaxis rates. Additionally, we surveyed hospitals to identify variations in perioperative practice and barriers to prophylaxis administration. RESULTS: Overall, 40.4 % of eligible patients had perioperative pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis for abdominal cancer surgery, and 25.3 % of the highest-risk patients had evidence of inadequate postoperative prophylaxis (under-prophylaxis, either by dose or duration). Hospital perioperative thromboprophylaxis rates ranged from 0 to 96.1 %, and postoperative thromboprophylaxis rates ranged from 73.9 to 100 %. Epidural use was not independently associated with hospital pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis rates. CONCLUSIONS: Fewer than half of patients undergoing abdominal cancer surgery receive perioperative thromboprophylaxis, and there is wide variation in hospital thromboprophylaxis utilization despite strong evidence-based guidelines supporting its use.

Prophylactic Inferior Vena Cava Filter Placement Does Not Result in a Survival Benefit for Trauma Patients.

OBJECTIVE: Trauma patients are at high risk for life-threatening venous thromboembolic (VTE) events. We examined the relationship between prophylactic inferior vena cava (IVC) filter use, mortality, and VTE. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: The prevalence of prophylactic placement of IVC filters has increased among trauma patients. However, there exists little data on the overall efficacy of prophylactic IVC filters with regard to outcomes. METHODS: Trauma quality collaborative data from 2010 to 2014 were analyzed. Patients were excluded with no signs of life, Injury Severity Score <9, hospitalization <3 days, or who received IVC filter after occurrence of VTE event. Risk-adjusted rates of IVC filter placement were calculated and hospitals placed into quartiles of IVC filter use. Mortality rates by quartile were compared. We also determined the association of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) with the presence of an IVC filter, accounting for type and timing of initiation of pharmacological VTE prophylaxis. RESULTS: A prophylactic IVC filter was placed in 803 (2%) of 39,456 patients. Hospitals exhibited significant variability (0.6% to 9.6%) in adjusted rates of IVC filter utilization. Rates of IVC placement within quartiles were 0.7%, 1.3%, 2.1%, and 4.6%, respectively. IVC filter use quartiles showed no variation in mortality. Adjusting for pharmacological VTE prophylaxis and patient factors, prophylactic IVC filter placement was associated with an increased incidence of DVT (OR = 1.83; 95% CI, 1.15-2.93, P-value = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: High rates of prophylactic IVC filter placement have no effect on reducing trauma patient mortality and are associated with an increase in DVT events.

Influence of median surgeon operative duration on adverse outcomes in bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that prolonged operative time adversely affects surgical outcomes. However, whether faster surgeons have better outcomes is unclear, as a surgeon׳s speed could reflect skill and efficiency, but may alternatively reflect haste. This study evaluates whether median surgeon operative time is associated with adverse surgical outcomes after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study using statewide clinical registry data from the years 2006 to 2012. Surgeons were ranked by their median operative time and grouped into terciles. Multivariable logistic regression with robust standard errors was used to evaluate the influence of median surgeon operative time on 30-day surgical outcomes, adjusting for patient and surgeon characteristics, trainee involvement, concurrent procedures, and the complex interaction between these variables. RESULTS: A total of 16,344 patients underwent surgery during the study period. Compared to surgeons in the fastest tercile, slow surgeons required 53 additional minutes to complete a gastric bypass procedure (median [interquartile range] 139 [133-150] versus 86 [69-91], P<.001). After adjustment for patient characteristic only, slow surgeons had significantly higher adjusted rates of any complication, prolonged length of stay, emergency department visits or readmissions, and venous thromboembolism (VTE). After further adjustment for surgeon characteristics, resident involvement, and the interaction between these variables, slow surgeons had higher rates of any complication (10.5% versus 7.1%, P=.039), prolonged length of stay (14.0% versus 4.4%, P=.002), and VTE (0.39% versus .22%, P<.001). CONCLUSION: Median surgeon operative duration is independently associated with adjusted rates of certain adverse outcomes after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Improving surgeon efficiency while operating may reduce operative time and improve the safety of bariatric surgery.

Self-reported remission of obstructive sleep apnea following bariatric surgery: cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence on remission of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) after bariatric surgery and its relation to weight loss is conflicting. We sought to identify factors associated with successful self-reported OSA remission in a large cohort of bariatric surgery patients. METHODS: We analyzed data from the statewide, prospective clinical registry of the Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative and identified 3,550 patients with OSA who underwent a primary bariatric procedure between June 2006 and October 2011 and had at least 1 year of follow-up data. We used multivariate logistic regression to identify preoperative factors associated with successful self-reported OSA remission, defined as discontinuation of continuous positive airway pressure or bilevel positive airway pressure at 1 year. Our regression model also included procedure type and weight loss at 1 year, divided into equal quintiles, as covariates. RESULTS: The overall 1-year self-reported OSA remission rate was 60%. Significant predictors of remission included age category (per 10 yr) (OR .73, CI .69-.78), body mass index category (per 10 units) (OR .57, CI .54-.62), male gender (OR .58, CI .52-.69), hypertension (OR .83, CI .74-.99), depression (OR .78, CI .69-.88), pulmonary disease (OR .88, CI .78-.98), and baseline Health and Activities Limitations Index score (OR 1.70, CI 1.32-2.23). Relative to gastric banding, the adjusted odds of OSA remission were greater with gastric bypass (OR 2.38, CI 1.89-3.08), sleeve gastrectomy (OR 2.01, CI 1.44-2.55), and duodenal switch (OR 2.57, CI 1.02-7.26). The odds ratio of OSA remission increased stepwise through quintiles of 1-year weight loss. Relative to the lowest quintile, the odds ratios of remission in the 2(nd) through 5(th) quintiles were 1.44 (CI 1.11-1.84), 2.03 (CI 1.48-2.57), 2.47 (1.85-3.40), and 3.53 (CI 2.56-4.85). CONCLUSIONS: Weight loss is an important predictor of self-reported OSA remission after bariatric surgery. However, independent of weight loss, there remain significant differences in the likelihood of remission between gastric banding and other bariatric procedures. This suggests that there may be metabolic, weight-independent effects of procedure type on self-reported OSA remission.

Regional collaborative quality improvement for trauma reduces complications and costs.

BACKGROUND: Although evidence suggests that quality improvement to reduce complications for trauma patients should decrease costs, studies have not addressed this question directly. In Michigan, trauma centers and a private payer have created a regional collaborative quality initiative (CQI). This CQI program began as a pilot in 2008 and expanded to a formal statewide program in 2010. We examined the relationship between outcomes and expenditures for trauma patients treated in collaborative participant and nonparticipant hospitals. METHODS: Payer claims and collaborative registry data were analyzed for 30-day episode payments and serious complications in patients admitted with trauma diagnoses. Patients were categorized as treated in hospitals that had different CQI status: (1) never participated (Never-CQI); (2) collaborative participant, but patient treated before CQI initiation (Pre-CQI); or (3) active collaborative participant (Post-CQI). DRG International Classification of Diseases--9th Rev. codes were crosswalked to Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) 2005 codes. Episode payment data were risk adjusted (age, sex, comorbidities, type/severity of injury, and year of treatment), and price was standardized. Outcome data were risk adjusted. A serious complication consisted of one or more of the following occurrences: acute lung injury/adult respiratory distress syndrome, acute kidney injury, cardiac arrest with cardiopulmonary resuscitation, decubitus ulcer, deep vein thrombosis, enterocutaneous fistula, extremity compartment syndrome, mortality, myocardial infarction, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, severe sepsis, stroke/cerebral vascular accident, unplanned intubation, or unplanned return to operating room. RESULTS: The risk-adjusted rate of serious complications declined from 14.9% to 9.1% (p < 0.001) in participating hospitals (Post-CQI, n = 26). Average episode payments decreased by $2,720 (from $36,043 to $33,323, p = 0.08) among patients treated in Post-CQI centers, whereas patients treated at Never-CQI institutions had a significant year-to-year increase in payments (from $23,547 to $28,446, p < 0.001). A savings of $6.5 million in total episode payments from 2010 to 2011 was achieved for payer-covered Post-CQI treated patients. CONCLUSION: This study confirms our hypothesis that participation in a regional CQI program improves outcomes and reduces costs for trauma patients. Support of a regional CQI for trauma represents an effective investment to achieve health care value. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Economic/value-based evaluation, level III.

Variation in utilization of acid-reducing medication at 1 year following bariatric surgery: results from the Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative.

BACKGROUND: Morbidly obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery have high rates of gastroesophageal reflux and are often treated with acid-reducing medications (ARM) such as proton pump inhibitors or H2-blockers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of bariatric procedures on the utilization of ARM. We analyzed data from the clinical registry of the Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative on 35,477 patients undergoing bariatric surgery between January 2006 and October 2012 who completed both baseline and 1-year follow-up surveys. Procedures included laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB, n=2,627), Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB, n=6,410), sleeve gastrectomy (SG, n=1,567), and biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (BPD/DS, n=162). METHODS: Rates of ARM at 1 year by procedure type were compared using logistic regression analysis. Models were adjusted for patient characteristics, baseline co-morbidities, weight loss, and hiatal hernia repair. RESULTS: Overall ARM use at baseline was 37.7% and declined to 29.6% at 1 year after bariatric surgery. The proportion of patients starting an ARM at 1 year when they were not using one at baseline by procedure was LAGB (13.9%), RYGB (19.2%), SG (21.6%), and BPD/DS (26.7%). The proportion of patients discontinuing an ARM at 1 year when they were using one at baseline by procedure was LAGB (55.6%), RYGB (56.2%), SG (37.3%), and BPD/DS (42.1%). Compared with LAGB on multivariable analysis, the likelihood of ARM use at 1 year was higher for SG (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.45-1.99) and BDP/DS (OR 1.53, CI .97-2.40) but not different for RYGB (OR 1.02, CI .90-1.16). CONCLUSION: Overall ARM use decreases after bariatric surgery; however, it is not uniform and depends on procedure type. SG is a significant predictor for ARM use at 1 year.

Collaborative quality improvement in surgery.

Collaborative quality improvement has demonstrated success in improving quality and reducing health care costs in several state-based examples. Professional societies and payers are keen on identifying the most effective strategies to improve the safety and efficiency of surgical care. This review highlights the development and features of collaborative quality improvement programs, their advantages and examples of successful collaborations for several surgical conditions, and their potential application for surgeons caring for patients with upper extremity trauma and disability.

Multi-institutional assessment of sphincter preservation for rectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Sphincter-preserving surgery (SPS) has been proposed as a quality measure for rectal cancer surgery. However, previous studies on SPS rates lack critical clinical characteristics, rendering it unclear if variation in SPS rates is due to unmeasured case-mix differences or surgeons' selection criteria. In this context, we investigate the variation in SPS rates at various practice settings. METHODS: Ten hospitals in the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative collected rectal cancer-specific data, including tumor location and reasons for non-SPS, of patients who underwent rectal cancer surgery from 2007 to 2012. Hospitals were divided into terciles of SPS rates (frequent, average, and infrequent). Patients were categorized as 'definitely SPS eligible' a priori if they did not have any of the following: sphincter involvement, tumor <6 cm from the anal verge, fecal incontinence, stoma preference, or metastatic disease. Fixed-effects logistic regression was used to evaluate for factors associated with SPS. RESULTS: In total, 329 patients underwent rectal cancer surgery at 10 hospitals (5/10 higher volume, and 6/10 major teaching). Overall, 72 % had SPS (range by hospital 47-91 %). Patient and tumor characteristics were similar between hospital terciles. On multivariable analysis, only hospital ID, younger age, and tumor location were associated with SPS, but not sex, race, body mass index, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, preoperative radiation, or American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class. Analysis of the 181 (55 %) 'definitely-eligible' patients revealed an SPS rate of 90 % (65-100 %). CONCLUSIONS: SPS rates vary by hospital, even after accounting for clinical characteristics using detailed chart review. These data suggest missed opportunities for SPS, and refute the general hypothesis that hospital variation in previous studies is due to unmeasured case-mix differences.

Implementation of a hospital-based quality assessment program for rectal cancer.

PURPOSE: Quality improvement programs in Europe have had a markedly beneficial effect on the processes and outcomes of rectal cancer care. The quality of rectal cancer care in the United States is not as well understood, and scalable quality improvement programs have not been developed. The purpose of this article is to describe the implementation of a hospital-based quality assessment program for rectal cancer, targeting both community and academic hospitals. METHODS: We recruited 10 hospitals from a surgical quality improvement organization. Nurse reviewers were trained to abstract rectal cancer data from hospital medical records, and abstracts were assessed for accuracy. We conducted two surveys to assess the training program and limitations of the data abstraction. We validated data completeness and accuracy by comparing hospital medical record and tumor registry data. RESULTS: Nine of 10 hospitals successfully performed abstractions with ≥ 90% accuracy. Experienced nurse reviewers were challenged by the technical details in operative and pathology reports. Although most variables had less than 10% missing data, outpatient testing information was lacking from some hospitals' inpatient records. This implementation project yielded a final quality assessment program consisting of 20 medical records variables and 11 tumor registry variables. CONCLUSION: An innovative program linking tumor registry data to quality-improvement data for rectal cancer quality assessment was successfully implemented in 10 hospitals. This data platform and training program can serve as a template for other organizations that are interested in assessing and improving the quality of rectal cancer care.

Socioeconomic disparities in mortality after cancer surgery: failure to rescue.

IMPORTANCE: Disparities in operative mortality due to socioeconomic status (SES) have been consistently demonstrated, but the mechanisms underlying this disparity are not well understood. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether variations in failure to rescue (FTR) contribute to socioeconomic disparities in mortality after major cancer surgery. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We performed a retrospective cohort study using the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review File and the Medicare Denominator File. A summary measure of SES was created for each zip code using 2000 US Census data linked to residence. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the influence of SES on rates of FTR, and fixed-effects hierarchical regression was used to evaluate the extent to which disparities could be attributed to differences among hospitals. A total of 596,222 patients undergoing esophagectomy, pancreatectomy, partial or total gastrectomy, colectomy, lung resection, and cystectomy for cancer from 2003 through 2007 were studied. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Operative mortality, postoperative complications, and FTR (case fatality after ≥1 major complication). RESULTS: Patients in the lowest quintile of SES had mildly increased rates of complications (25.6% in the lowest quintile vs 23.8% in the highest quintile, P = .003), a larger increase in mortality (10.2% vs 7.7%, P = .0009), and the greatest increase in rates of FTR (26.7% vs 23.2%, P = .007). Analysis of hospitals revealed a higher FTR rate for all patients (regardless of SES) at centers treating the largest proportion of patients with low SES. The adjusted odds ratios (95% CIs) of FTR according to SES ranged from 1.04 (0.95-1.14) for gastrectomy to 1.45 (1.21-1.73) for pancreatectomy. Additional adjustment for hospital effect nearly eliminated the disparity observed in FTR across levels of SES. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Patients in the lowest quintile of SES have significantly increased rates of FTR. This finding appears to be in part a function of the hospital where patients with low SES are treated. Future efforts to improve socioeconomic disparities should concentrate on hospital processes and characteristics that contribute to successful rescue.

Effects of resident involvement on complication rates after laparoscopic gastric bypass.

BACKGROUND: Although resident involvement has been shown to be safe for most procedures, the impact of residents on outcomes after complex laparoscopic procedures is not well understood. We sought to examine the impact of resident involvement on outcomes after bariatric surgery using a population-based clinical registry. STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed 17,057 patients who underwent a primary laparoscopic gastric bypass in the 35-hospital Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative from July 2006 to August 2012. Resident involvement was characterized at the surgeon level. Using hierarchical logistic regression, we examined the influence of resident involvement on 30-day complications, accounting for patient characteristics as well as hospital and surgeon case volume. To evaluate potential mediating factors for specific complications, we also adjusted for operative duration. RESULTS: Risk-adjusted 30-day complication rates with and without residents were 13.0% and 8.5%, respectively (p < 0.01). Resident involvement was independently associated with wound infection (odds ratio [OR] = 2.06; 95% CI, 1.24-3.43) and venous thromboembolism (OR = 2.01; 95% CI, 1.19-3.40), but not with any other medical or surgical complications. Operative duration was longer with resident involvement (median duration with residents 129 minutes vs 88 minutes without; p < 0.01). After adjusting for operative duration, resident involvement was still independently associated with wound infection (OR = 1.67; 95% CI, 1.01-2.76), but not venous thromboembolism (OR = 1.73; 95% CI, 0.99-3.04). CONCLUSIONS: Resident involvement in laparoscopic gastric bypass is independently associated with wound infections and venous thromboembolism. The effect appears to be mediated in part by longer operative times. These findings highlight the importance of strategies to assess and improve resident technical proficiency outside the operating room.

Composite measures for profiling hospitals on bariatric surgery performance.

IMPORTANCE: The optimal approach for profiling hospital performance with bariatric surgery is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To develop a novel composite measure for profiling hospital performance with bariatric surgery. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Using clinical registry data from the Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative, we studied all patients undergoing bariatric surgery from January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2010. For laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery, we used empirical Bayes techniques to create a composite measure by combining several measures, including serious complications, reoperations, and readmissions; hospital and surgeon volume; and outcomes with other related procedures. Hospitals were ranked for 2008 through 2009 and placed in 1 of 3 groups: 3-star (top 20%), 2-star (middle 60%), and 1-star (bottom 20%). We assessed how well these ratings predicted outcomes in the next year (2010) compared with other widely used measures. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Risk-adjusted serious complications. RESULTS: Composite measures explained a larger proportion of hospital-level variation in serious complication rates with laparoscopic gastric bypass than other measures. For example, the composite measure explained 89% of the variation compared with only 28% for risk-adjusted complication rates alone. Composite measures also appeared better at predicting future performance compared with individual measures. When ranked on the composite measure, 1-star hospitals had 2-fold higher serious complication rates (4.6% vs 2.4%; odds ratio, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.1-3.5) compared with 3-star hospitals. Differences in serious complication rates between 1- and 3-star hospitals were much smaller when hospitals were ranked using serious complications (4.0% vs 2.7%; odds ratio, 1.6; 95% CI, 0.8-2.9) and hospital volume (3.3% vs 3.2%; odds ratio, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.4-1.7). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Composite measures are much better at explaining hospital-level variation in serious complications and predicting future performance than other approaches. In this preliminary study, it appears that such composite measures may be better than existing alternatives for profiling hospital performance with bariatric surgery.

Surgical skill and complication rates after bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND: Clinical outcomes after many complex surgical procedures vary widely across hospitals and surgeons. Although it has been assumed that the proficiency of the operating surgeon is an important factor underlying such variation, empirical data are lacking on the relationships between technical skill and postoperative outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a study involving 20 bariatric surgeons in Michigan who participated in a statewide collaborative improvement program. Each surgeon submitted a single representative videotape of himself or herself performing a laparoscopic gastric bypass. Each videotape was rated in various domains of technical skill on a scale of 1 to 5 (with higher scores indicating more advanced skill) by at least 10 peer surgeons who were unaware of the identity of the operating surgeon. We then assessed relationships between these skill ratings and risk-adjusted complication rates, using data from a prospective, externally audited, clinical-outcomes registry involving 10,343 patients. RESULTS: Mean summary ratings of technical skill ranged from 2.6 to 4.8 across the 20 surgeons. The bottom quartile of surgical skill, as compared with the top quartile, was associated with higher complication rates (14.5% vs. 5.2%, P<0.001) and higher mortality (0.26% vs. 0.05%, P=0.01). The lowest quartile of skill was also associated with longer operations (137 minutes vs. 98 minutes, P<0.001) and higher rates of reoperation (3.4% vs. 1.6%, P=0.01) and readmission (6.3% vs. 2.7%) (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The technical skill of practicing bariatric surgeons varied widely, and greater skill was associated with fewer postoperative complications and lower rates of reoperation, readmission, and visits to the emergency department. Although these findings are preliminary, they suggest that peer rating of operative skill may be an effective strategy for assessing a surgeon's proficiency.