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

For early stages of cancer in the esophagus, surgeons may perform a procedure to try to remove the cancer and some of the normal surrounding tissue. The surgery will remove some or most of the esophagus, and often a small part of the stomach. The upper part of the esophagus is then connected to the remaining part of the stomach. Part of the stomach is pulled up into the chest or neck to become the new esophagus.

Research has shown that patients have better outcomes when they have their esophageal 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 esophageal 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.