Nationwide Outcomes Measurement in Colorectal Cancer Surgery: Improving Quality and Reducing Costs

Background Recent literature suggests that focus in health care should shift from reducing costs to improving quality; where quality of health care improves, cost reduction will follow. Our primary aim was to investigate whether improving the quality of surgical colorectal cancer care, by using a national quality improvement initiative, leads to a reduction of hospital costs. Study Design This was a retrospective analysis of clinical and financial outcomes after colorectal cancer surgery in 29 Dutch hospitals (9,913 patients). Detailed clinical data were obtained from the 2010 to 2012 population-based Dutch Surgical Colorectal Audit. Patient-level costs were measured uniformly in all participating hospitals and based on time-driven, activity-based costing. Odds ratios (OR) and relative differences (RD) were risk adjusted for hospitals and differences in patient characteristics. Results Over 3 consecutive years, severe complications and mortality declined by 20% (risk-adjusted OR 0.739, 95% CI 0.653 to 0.836, p Conclusions This report presents evidence for simultaneous quality improvement and cost reduction. Participation in a nationwide quality improvement initiative with continuous quality measurement and benchmarked feedback reveals opportunities for targeted improvements, bringing the medical field forward in improving value of health care delivery. The focus of health care should shift to improving quality, which will catalyze costs savings as well.