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

Surgery is a common option for the treatment of rectal cancer. The type of surgery that is used will depend on the stage of the cancer, where it is, and the goal of the surgery. A key piece of information needed before surgery is how close the tumor is to the anus. This can impact the type of surgery done.

Research has shown that patients have better outcomes when they have their rectal cancer surgery 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 rectal 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.