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Measuring Health Care Quality in Surgery: Strategies, Limitations, and Currently Available Initiatives

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Success in Academic Surgery: Health Services Research

Part of the book series: Success in Academic Surgery ((SIAS))

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Abstract

With an increasing focus on surgical quality, measurement systems have been developed to provide comparative feedback of performance to hospitals and individual surgeons. Moreover, many of these programs are being used for public reporting and in pay-for-participation/performance initiatives. These surgical quality measurement programs have evolved considerably over the past few decades, and in this chapter, we discuss some of the key elements of surgical quality measurement. First, critical elements of a quality measurement system are detailed. Second, evolving and controversial topics in measurement are discussed. Finally, currently available surgical quality measurement programs are highlighted. Surgical quality measurement is a rapidly growing field and will be a critical component of every surgeon’s practice in the near future.

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Landmark Papers

  • Donabedian A. The quality of care. How can it be assessed? JAMA: J Am Med Assoc. 1988;260(12):1743–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hall BL, Hamilton BH, Richards K, Bilimoria KY, Cohen ME, Ko CY. Does surgical quality improve in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program: an evaluation of all participating hospitals. Ann Surg. 2009;250(3):363–76.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hannan EL, Kilburn Jr H, Racz M, Shields E, Chassin MR. Improving the outcomes of coronary artery bypass surgery in New York State. JAMA: J Am Med Assoc. 1994;271(10):761–6.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khuri SF, Daley J, Henderson W, et~al. The Department of Veterans Affairs’ NSQIP: the first national, validated, outcome-based, risk-adjusted, and peer-controlled program for the measurement and enhancement of the quality of surgical care. National VA Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Ann Surg. 1998;228(4):491–507.

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stulberg JJ, Delaney CP, Neuhauser DV, Aron DC, Fu P, Koroukian SM. Adherence to surgical care improvement project measures and the association with postoperative infections. JAMA: J Am Med Assoc. 2010;303(24):2479–85.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Surgical Outcomes and Quality Improvement Center, Department of Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Ryan P. Merkow M.D., M.S. & Karl Y. Bilimoria M.D., M.S.

Authors
  1. Ryan P. Merkow M.D., M.S.
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  2. Karl Y. Bilimoria M.D., M.S.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Karl Y. Bilimoria M.D., M.S. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Associate Chair for Faculty Development, Department of Surgery, Henry King Ransom Professor of Surgery Chief, Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Justin B. Dimick

  2. Associate Professor of Surgery, WARF Professor of Surgical Research Director, Wisconsin Surgical Outcomes Research (WiSOR), Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

    Caprice C. Greenberg

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag London

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Merkow, R.P., Bilimoria, K.Y. (2014). Measuring Health Care Quality in Surgery: Strategies, Limitations, and Currently Available Initiatives. In: Dimick, J., Greenberg, C. (eds) Success in Academic Surgery: Health Services Research. Success in Academic Surgery. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4718-3_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4718-3_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-4717-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-4718-3

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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