Why the study?
Surgical care costs are typically measured using inadequate charges or payments, but hospital-perspective actual costs are needed to evaluate return on investment for quality improvement.
Population
6,387 patients undergoing surgery at four hospitals in 2016
Comparison
Individual 30-day postoperative complications
Design
Retrospective study
Follow-up
30 days
Authors
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These complications incur highest adjusted costs; hypothesis-generating for targeted prevention research without practice change.
Prolonged ventilation, unplanned intubation, and renal failure are the most costly 30-day postoperative complications, providing financial justification for targeted quality improvement efforts.
Merkow et al. (2020) studied this question.
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