General Surgery

Our general surgery quality measures consist of all measures related to general surgery and surgical measures not related to a major surgical category (i.e. vascular or heart surgery). They measure how well we provide care and how well our patients do during and after medical their surgeries. Some things we measure are volume statistics, surgery complications and mortality rates.

We strive to provide high quality healthcare to all of our patients. In an effort to reach our goal to Deliver Exceptional Care, we collect data about our patients, their treatments and their outcomes. This data helps us to understand what we’re doing that is working and where we might need to improve our practices for the best possible patient outcomes.

The general surgery quality measures are:

Volume

• Pancreatic resection (pancreas surgery) volume 

Outcome

Complications

• Accidental puncture or cut during surgery
• Bleeding or bruising following surgery
• Blood transfusion reaction
• Cardiac complications following vascular or general surgery
• Complications or morbidity within 30 days following vascular or general surgery
• Deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism after vascular or general surgery
• Diabetic or kidney problems following surgery
• Equipment left in the body during surgical procedure
• Hip fracture following surgery
• Kidney failure following vascular or general surgery
• Pneumonia following vascular or general surgery
• Pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis after surgery
• Respiratory failure after surgery
• Sepsis after surgery
• Surgical site infection following vascular or general surgery
• Unplanned reintubation following vascular or general surgery
• Urinary tract infection following vascular or general surgery
• Ventilator usage following vascular or general surgery
• Wound reopening after surgery

Mortality

• Brain surgery (craniotomy) mortality
• Death among patients in usually low-mortality conditions
• Death among surgical inpatients with serious treatable conditions
• Death within 30 days following vascular or general surgery
• Hip replacement mortality
• Pancreatic resection (pancreas surgery) mortality

Safe Care

• Appendix removal in the elderly 
• Inpatient surgical care: appropriate antibiotic before surgery
• Inpatient surgical care: timely antibiotic before surgery
• Inpatient surgical care: antibiotic stopped timely after surgery
• Inpatient surgical care: appropriate method of hair removal before surgery
• Inpatient surgical care: beta-blockers given to surgical patients currently on beta-blocker therapy
• Inpatient surgical care: management of blood sugar after heart surgery
• Inpatient surgical care: normal body temperature after surgery
• Inpatient surgical care: treatment of blood clots
• Inpatient surgical care: urinary catheter removed within 48 hours after surgery
• Inpatient surgical care bundle
• Laparoscopic gallbladder removal rate 
• Leapfrog Group: measures of pancreatic resection surgery
• Outpatient surgical care: appropriate antibiotic before surgery
• Outpatient surgical care: timely antibiotic before surgery
• Sepsis after surgery  

 To learn more about other measures related to specific types of surgery, visit:

• Heart Surgery 
• Thoracic (Chest) Surgery 
• Vascular (Arteries & Veins) Surgery 
• Orthopaedics (Hip & Knee) 
• Organ Transplantation