HealthGrades study: Bariatric surgery patients have fewer complications at high-volume hospitalsJuly 31, 2007Bariatric surgery patients had 64 percent fewer complications and a 26 percent shorter hospital stay if they went to a five-star rated hospital compared with a one-star rated hospital, according to a new study released today by HealthGrades, the healthcare ratings company. The study of bariatric surgery outcomes at hospitals in 19 states over the years 2003 to 2005 also found that five-star rated hospitals -- those with better-than-average patient outcomes -- performed about twice the number of procedures compared with hospitals that rated poorly. A clear trend away from traditional, more invasive gastric bypass to a less invasive laparoscopic procedure was also found in the study, according to the second annual HealthGrades Bariatric Surgery Trends in American Hospitals. Over 70 percent of the surgeries done in 2005 were laparoscopic, which are associated with fewer inhospital complications than traditional gastric bypass. "Bariatric surgery has been demonstrated to be highly effective for those with morbid obesity, but the relatively new procedures are not yet regulated or a credentialed surgical subspecialty," said Samantha Collier, MD., HealthGrades' chief medical officer. "So it is important that patients considering surgery know how hospitals rate." The HealthGrades study analyzed 166,410 bariatric surgery procedures in the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 in the 19 states that collect and release all-payer outcomes data. Those states are: Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. HealthGrades' quality ratings for bariatric surgery at individual hospitals in these 19 states were posted today to www.HealthGrades.com as a free resource for consumers. Each hospital receives a star rating based on their patient outcomes for bariatric surgery. Hospitals with above-average outcomes receive a five-star rating. Hospitals with average outcomes receive a three-star rating, and hospitals with outcomes that are below average receive a one-star rating. The second annual HealthGrades Bariatric Surgery Trends in American Hospitals Study found that: * Hospitals rated with five stars by HealthGrades performed, on average, almost twice the number of procedures during the three years studied compared with those rated with one star -- 533 procedures compared with 293 for one-star hospitals. * Patients at one-star rated hospitals had, on average, a 16.07% chance of experiencing an in-hospital complication; patients at a five-star rated hospital had, on average, a 5.60% percent chance. * A typical patient at a five-star rated hospital had, a 64 percent lower chance of developing one or more major inhospital complications compare to a one-star hospital, and a 41 percent lower chance compared to all hospitals studied. * The most common major complications include respiratory, bleeding, gastrointestinal and laceration complications. * The average length of stay was 26 percent shorter in five-star hospitals as compared to one-star rated hospitals. * Among the 19 states studies, almost half of all the procedures were performed in just four states -- New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Florida Last year, a study published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that four of every ten patients undergoing bariatric surgery develop complications within six months. Methodology For this study, HealthGrades analyzed 166,410 bariatric procedures performed in the years 2003, 2004 and 2005. To make accurate and valid comparisons of clinical outcomes at different hospitals with different patient characteristics, HealthGrades risk adjusted the data using multivariate logistic regression-based ratings to account for age, gender and underlying medical conditions that could increase the patient's risk of mortality or complication. HealthGrades |
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| Related Bariatric Surgery Current Events and Bariatric Surgery News Articles Diabetes surgery summit consensus lays foundation for new field of medicine A first-of-its-kind consensus statement on diabetes surgery is published online today in the Annals of Surgery. Energy gap useful tool for successful weight loss maintenance strategy Americans continue to get heavier. Most weight control methods short of bariatric surgery are generally considered ineffective in preventing obesity or reducing weight. Addressing obesity via the 'energy gap' The November issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association features a commentary by James O. Hill, an honorary ADA member, professor of pediatrics and medicine and director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado-Denver. 'Superobesity,' chronic disease burden associated with risk of death following bariatric surgery Veterans classified as superobese and those with a higher chronic disease burden appear more likely to die within a year of having bariatric surgery, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. NIH study finds low short-term risks after bariatric surgery for extreme obesity Short-term complications and death rates were low following bariatric surgery to limit the amount of food that can enter the stomach, decrease absorption of food or both, according to the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS-1). Study: Bariatric surgery patients have 67 percent lower chance of complications at top hospitals The HealthGrades Fourth Annual Bariatric Surgery Trends in American Hospitals Study released today identifies 88 hospitals as "best" performers (five-star rated), with mortality rates, complication rates and patient lengths of stay that are dramatically lower than poorly rated hospitals. A simpler definition for major depressive disorder Researchers from Rhode Island Hospital's department of psychiatry propose that the definition for major depressive disorder (MDD) should be shortened to include only the mood and cognitive symptoms that have been part of the definition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) for the past 35 years. Roux-en-Y weight loss surgery raises kidney stone risk The most popular type of gastric bypass surgery appears to nearly double the chance that a patient will develop kidney stones, despite earlier assumptions that it would not, Johns Hopkins doctors report in a new study. Physiological response may explain why some severely obese patients overeat Don't feel like you are getting full when eating a large meal? New research from The Miriam Hospital suggests that a physiological response may partially explain why severely obese individuals may not feel satisfied after eating and often have difficulty controlling the amount of food they consume during a meal. Waiting times too long for bariatric surgery Obesity is now acknowledged as a chronic disease with a number of related complications, and its prevalence has reached alarming epidemic proportions. More Bariatric Surgery Current Events and Bariatric Surgery News Articles |
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