Procedure Utilization

Medical articles and journals have offered suggestions that, for some complex medical and surgical procedures, outcomes for patients may be better in hospitals where doctors perform such procedures regularly, rather than occasionally. However, low-volume providers may have excellent outcomes, and high volume providers may report less than expected. Since volume alone is not an outcome (result) measure, where possible, volume indicators should be evaluated along with mortality indicators (outcome measures) for the same procedure. An asterisk (*) shows those volume indicators for which reports on mortality also are available. For each measure, the number of times physicians performed the procedure on hospitalized patients is reported.

Carotid Endarterectomy Volume

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Volume *

Esophageal Resection Volume

Pancreatic Resection Volume

Pediatric Heart Surgery Volume

Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty Volume

This section reports the percentage of patients who died at a hospital after undergoing a specific type of surgery.

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Mortality Rate

Craniotomy Mortality

Hip Replacement Mortality

This section reports the percentage of patients who died at a hospital while being treated for each condition.

Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) Mortality

Acute Stroke Mortality

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Mortality

Gastrointestinal (GI) Hemorrhage Mortality

Hip Fracture Mortality

Pneumonia Mortality

This section of indicators reflects the use of certain procedures in hospitals, and demonstrates variances. While there is no "correct" frequency for performing procedures included in this section of the report, high or low rates may raise questions that should be discussed with your doctor and hospital.

Cesarean Section Delivery Utilization

Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Utilization

Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) Utilization

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. What is the source of the data used to calculate these quality indicators?
2. What do the hospital-specific comparative reports mean?
3. Are the comparisons between hospitals appropriate?
4. What is the best way to use these reports?
5. What do the terms used in the tables actually mean?

        This report provides consumers with reliable and comparable data on hospitals throughout Colorado. Twenty-one hospitals are included in this hospitalization database. Links to additional explanatory information are provided throughout the report.
         The hospital-specific reports published here show how Colorado hospitals perform based on indicators of hospital quality developed by the federal government.
         Many factors affect the selection of a hospital, and these quality indicators are only one source of information to consider. Other factors that may affect your selection of a hospital include what your health plan covers, convenience, where your doctor practices and recommendations from family and friends. You can use this information to talk with your doctor and hospital, and take a more active role in making health care decisions.
          For this report, CBGH used a widely accepted definition of quality care: "The degree to which health services for individuals and populations increases the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge." In other words, quality care meets the needs of the patient and is based on evidence of effectiveness. The performance of the hospitals in this report as suggested by the quality indicators may reflect whether the care ordered by a physician and delivered at a given hospital was consistent with standards of care. However, it also may reflect factors that do not relate to hospital performance, such as patient or physician preference, stage of illness, age, other accompanying illnesses or conditions, or the availability of specialized equipment or doctors. While the data analysis method attempts to adjust for many of these factors, it is not possible to do so perfectly.