Outpatient Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal
Frequency:Quarterly
Measure Type: Cost
The department of health supplies data on gallbladder removals in Utah. The website aids consumers on the risk of having a patient’s gallbladder removed. There are depictions on the type of incisions a doctor will be performing on a patient. Explanations are provided to the public on several forms of surgery an individual can receive, depending on the level of illness.
A gallbladder is a small organ that is under your liver. It is a fluid that is made from your liver to digest fat. If there is a block this may cause gallstones. With gallstones an individual will have difficulty eating and may experience vomiting, nausea, or pains in the abdomen. This report consists of measures displaying the percentage on inpatient gallbladder removals using laparoscopy (minor abdominal surgery).
Since the removal of an individual’s gall bladder occurs with the older population, all of the data consist of patients over 17 years of age. There are charts available for both inpatients and outpatients who have had their gallbladder removed. The difficulty with the reports is listing only the percentages on the amount of gallbladders removed. It does not indicate quality of care. If a facility has a low percentage it can be due to the patients level of illness/medical history. All of this information provided to the public aims to alleviate unnecessary treatment for patients. Unfortunately a health care professional may prefer to perform a surgery that is not needed, but conducted so that they receive more finances for the operation.
