Carotid Surgery Comparison 
     General Surgeons vs. Statewide Averages

General Surgeons participates in a Statewide Carotid Surgery project. All of our carotid surgery results are collected (over 100 data points per patient chart) and  are submitted for independent review. 

We are then graded and compared to all other carotid surgeons statewide. The agency performing this survey is Health CareExcel, a medical peer review company hired by Medicare to monitor physician performance throughout the states of Indiana and Kentucky. 

The following chart is a compilation of data collected by them, during the calendar year 1998.  We are awaiting more recent data from Health CareExcel.

Explanation of the abbreviations on the chart are found just below the chart.

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Mortality 30 d is the number of patients who died within 30 days of the carotid operation. Our percentage is zero. Statewide average is .9% (close to 1 in 100.)

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SurgComp is the percentage of patients having major surgical complications. Our percentage is zero, zero, statewide average is .6%.

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Return to OR Complication is the percentage of patients taken back to surgery to treat complications of the original surgery. Our percentage is zero, statewide average is 3.4%.

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PostOPLOS is the post operative length of stay. Our average is 1.4 days, statewide average is 2.4 days. We think that these data show that at Reid hospital, a patient can obtain very high quality carotid surgery, at lower cost and fewer days in the hospital.

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LOS stands for Length of stay. It is the preoperative stay added on to the postoperative stay. Our average is 1.6 days, and statewide average is 3.4 days. Our pre-operative workup is done on an outpatient basis, maximizing convenience to patients and their families, and again decreasing costs.