Hospital volume more important than surgeon volume for some surgeries

For men undergoing a radical prostatectomy (RP), hospital volume matters more than surgeon volume for 30-day complication rates, especially for older, sicker patients,  according to a press release by Henry Ford Medical Center.

According to the release, researchers examined data from National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program and analyzed the effect of both hospital volume (HV) and surgeon volume (SV) in predicting complications.

The study found that while both high HV and SV were associated with lower rates of complications, a higher hospital volume mattered more, especially for older and sicker patients.

(Source: The Advisory Board Daily Briefing, http://advisory.com, May 22, 2012; Henry Ford Health System, http://www.henryford.com/, May 15, 2012)