The descriptions for this measure come from source: www.leapfroggroup.org.

A lung resection can be done to remove cancerous tissue from the lung. It may be an option for some patients depending on the type, location and stage of their lung cancer. This type of surgery is most often used when the cancer is localized and unlikely to have spread.

Research has shown that patients have better outcomes when they have their lung resection for cancer performed at a hospital and by a surgeon that have more experience with the procedure. These include lower mortality rates, lower complication rates, and a shorter length of stay than for patients who have their surgery done at a hospital or by a surgeon with less experience. Hospitals should also have processes and protocols in place to ensure that surgeries are not performed when not needed, known as surgical appropriateness.

About this measure

To fully meet standards,

• The hospital met the minimum hospital volume standard for lung resection for cancer surgery; and
• The hospital’s process for privileging surgeons includes meeting or exceeding the minimum surgeon volume standard.

Scores are reported as:

1 = Willing to Report 2 = Some Progress 3 = Substantial Progress 4 = Fully Meets the Standard

Note: In this measure, a higher number is better.