From the Chairman
Our department’s top priority is providing high-quality, innovative surgical care. In doing so, we consider several components of “quality care.”
First and foremost, we want to ensure a safe surgical experience for our patients, many of whom have complex conditions. We are committed to assessing the appropriateness of surgery and determining the patient’s personal risk through use of a surgical risk calculator for index cases, such as pancreatoduodenectomy. Importantly, we share this information with the patient so he or she can make an informed decision about an operation following a thorough discussion with our faculty. We monitor our outcomes and seek to publish our results for broad dissemination.
In addition to providing a safe surgical environment, we are focused on reducing the incidence of complications by proactively assessing the patient’s conditions and choosing a surgical procedure that provides the optimal benefit-to-risk ratio. Delivering high-quality care that adheres to evidence-based, national guidelines in a highly reliable system is a key driver of successful patient outcomes.
The faculty are committed to providing this type of surgical care through a team-based approach. Our care teams are broadly defined to include surgeons, trainees, nurses, case management personnel, pharmacists, nutritionists, etc.
Finally, delivery of quality care is often defined in terms of value: the quality-to-cost ratio. Monitoring the cost of care and adopting more efficient, lower-cost care is an important component of providing value. Improving the value of surgical care will be a future goal for our department.
The science of delivering high-quality, surgical care is evolving rapidly. Collectively, we wish to embrace this movement and make valuable contributions to innovative surgical care. We look forward to this journey!
Kevin E. Behrns, M.D.
Chairman