Hospitals Surgical Quality Standards Linked To Lower Costs, Fewer Complications & Shorter Stays

After hospitals implemented quality of care standards developed by the American College of Surgeons (ACS), they had lower per-admission costs, a lower complication readmission rate, and decreased length of stay (LOS), according to a review of studies that reported the effects of the standards. The standards broadly address three principles: standardized team care across five phases of surgical care, disease-based management, and external regulatory review. The effects of the standards were identified in a meta-analysis of 150 studies that focused on at least one of the three principles.

The most commonly evaluated utilization metrics after implementing the . . .