Journal of gastrointestinal surgery : official journal of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract
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J. Gastrointest. Surg. · Apr 2016
Impact of a National Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence Program on Medicare Expenditures.
In 2006, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a national coverage decision restricting bariatric surgery to designated centers of excellence (COE). Although prior studies show mixed results on complications and reoperations, no prior studies evaluated whether this policy reduced spending for bariatric surgery. We sought to determine whether the coverage restriction to COE-designated hospitals was associated with lower payments from CMS. ⋯ We found no significant reductions in 30-day episode payments after vs before restricting coverage to COE-designated hospitals. Center of excellence status is not a proxy for savings to the healthcare system.
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J. Gastrointest. Surg. · Apr 2016
Predictors of Post-Operative Pain Relief in Patients with Chronic Pancreatitis Undergoing the Frey or Whipple Procedure.
Post-operative pain relief in chronic pancreatitis (CP) is variable. Our objective was to determine clinical imaging or histopathologic predictor(s) of post-operative pain relief in CP patients undergoing the Whipple or Frey procedure. ⋯ Only a toxic etiology, and not imaging or histopathologic findings, independently predicts post-operative pain relief in CP patients undergoing the Whipple or Frey procedure.
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J. Gastrointest. Surg. · Apr 2016
Randomized Controlled TrialIV Acetaminophen Results in Lower Hospital Costs and Emergency Room Visits Following Bariatric Surgery: a Double-Blind, Prospective, Randomized Trial in a Single Accredited Bariatric Center.
Postoperative pain control in bariatric surgery is challenging, despite use of intravenous (IV) narcotics. IV acetaminophen is one pain control alternative. ⋯ Using IV acetaminophen for postoperative pain management produced notable indirect cost savings and reduced ED visits in the first 30 days postoperatively, with good safety and tolerance. Decreased statistical power may have accounted for certain non-significant findings.
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J. Gastrointest. Surg. · Apr 2016
Associations Between Patient Perceptions of Communication, Cure, and Other Patient-Related Factors Regarding Patient-Reported Quality of Care Following Surgical Resection of Lung and Colorectal Cancer.
The objective of the current study was to analyze various patient-related factors related to patient-reported quality of overall and surgical care following surgical resection of lung or colorectal cancer. ⋯ Patient-reported quality of care is associated with several factors including race, income, and educational status, as well as physician communication and patient perception of likelihood of cure. Future studies are needed to more closely examine patient-physician relationships and communication barriers, particularly among minority patients and those with lower income and educational status.
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J. Gastrointest. Surg. · Apr 2016
Interpretation of Abdominal CT Findings in Patients Who Develop Acute on Chronic Mesenteric Ischemia.
We studied whether ischemia-specific computed tomography (CT) findings are consistently detectable in patients who develop acute on chronic mesenteric ischemia (AOCMI), whereas absent in chronic mesenteric ischemia (CMI). ⋯ One third of AOCMI patients presented without any ischemia-specific CT signs. However, any intestinal abnormality in CT together with SMA obstruction should raise suspicion of intestinal ischemia. Furthermore, clinicians need to be aware of the interobserver variability in the CT interpretation.