Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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To better define the financial impact of high-quality care for payers and hospitals, we compared outcomes and Medicare payments between high-quality (HQ) and low-quality (LQ) hospitals after hepatopancreatic surgery. ⋯ High-quality hospitals are able to achieve substantial Medicare savings by avoiding major complications. Occurrence of major complications was associated with lower Medicare reimbursement rates at both HQ and LQ hospitals vs when no complications occurred.
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While the costs of medical training continue to increase, surgeon income and personal financial decisions may be challenged to manage this expanding debt burden. We sought to characterize the financial liability, assets, income, and debt of surgical residents, and evaluate the necessity for additional financial training. ⋯ In a climate of increasingly delayed financial gratification, surgical trainees are on critically unstable financial footing. There is a major gap in current surgical education that requires reassessment for the long-term financial health of residents.
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One of the world's highest volume chemicals is bisphenol-A (BPA), an organic compound with a high solubility in fat. An emerging body of literature has suggested a link between BPA, obesity, and insulin resistance. The study aim was to determine if surgical weight loss is associated with changes in BPA levels. ⋯ Excretion of BPA increases as bariatric surgery patients lose weight. Heavier patients with insulin resistance may store more BPA in adipose tissue and therefore excrete less BPA.