JAMA surgery
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The Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative was proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to obtain and reward a greater value of care. Still in its infancy, little is known regarding the potential effects of the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Initiative on hospital payments and net margins. ⋯ Postoperative complications, length of stay, and total hospital costs were strongly associated with hospital costs. Payments under the bundled payments system were lower and the proportion of patients contributing to a net negative margin increased. Further study is warranted to define the effect of bundled payments on quality of care and hospital finances.
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Complicated appendicitis is a common condition in children that causes substantial morbidity. Significant variation in practice exists within and between centers. We observed highly variable practices within our hospital and hypothesized that a clinical practice guideline (CPG) would standardize care and be associated with improved patient outcomes. ⋯ Significant practice variation exists among surgeons in the management of pediatric complicated appendicitis. In our institution, a CPG that standardized practice patterns was associated with reduced resource use and improved patient outcomes. Most surgeons had very high compliance with the CPG.
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Acute kidney injury (AKI) affects as many as 40% of patients undergoing surgery and is associated with increased all-cause mortality. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular mortality. ⋯ Perioperative AKI is common in patients undergoing vascular surgery and is associated with a high risk for cardiovascular-specific mortality comparable to that seen with CKD. These findings reinforce the importance of preoperative and postoperative risk stratification for kidney disease and the implementation of strategies now available to help prevent perioperative AKI.
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Current evidence suggests that nonoperative management of uncomplicated appendicitis is safe, but overall effectiveness is determined by combining medical outcomes with the patient's and family's perspective, goals, and expectations. ⋯ When chosen by the family, nonoperative management is an effective treatment strategy for children with uncomplicated acute appendicitis, incurring less morbidity and lower costs than surgery.
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For more than 2 decades, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has relied on risk-adjusted, postoperative, 30-day mortality data as a measure of surgical quality of care. Recently, the use of 30-day mortality data has been criticized based on a theory that health care professionals manage patient care to meet the metric and that other outcome metrics are available. ⋯ Deciles of 30-day mortality estimates are associated with significantly different survival outcomes at 365 days even after removing patients who died within the first 30 postoperative days. No evidence of delays in patient care and treatment to meet a 30-day metric were identified. These findings reinforce the usefulness of 30-day mortality risk stratification as a surrogate for long-term outcomes.