Vascular surgeons deliver major value in terms of patient outcomes and health system profitability
Vascular surgeons provide substantial value to any care team, according to a new meta-analysis published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery.[1] When they participate in patient care, it is consistently linked to better outcomes, fewer complications and improved hospital profitability.
“Despite vascular surgery's importance, the economic benefits and interdisciplinary value of vascular surgery are often underrecognized, with limited literature available to track and reward its contribution effectively,” wrote senior author Rafael D. Malgor, MD, a professor of surgery with the University of Colorado Anschutz, and colleagues. “The full extent of a vascular surgeon's value, both in terms of clinical necessity and financial benefit, remains only partially recognized. The aim of this study is to gauge the impact of vascular surgery in terms of the interdisciplinary needs of modern medical practice while also contributing to the financial sustainability of healthcare institutions.”
To learn more about the contributions of vascular surgeons, Malgor et al. performed a meta-analysis that included data from 29 different clinical trials. Vascular surgery consultations were the most common in emergency medicine, orthopedics, trauma and neurosurgery. Other specialties requesting the assistance of vascular surgeons included general surgery, urological surgery, cardiac surgery and oncologic surgery. Hemorrhage control, ischemia and vascular reconstructions were the three most frequent reasons for these consultations. In addition, vascular surgeons performed a large amount of procedures, including primary repairs of major veins or arteries, graft placements, patch angioplasties, bypass procedures, thrombectomies, and ligation/excision procedures.
Collaboration boosts patient outcomes
Several studies included in the group’s meta-analysis focused on the impact of including vascular surgeons in multidisciplinary collaborations. One analysis, for example, pointed to less blood loss when vascular surgeons were brought in prior to treatment. Another study found that complications were significantly less common when vascular surgeons were consulted for challenging dissection procedures. In total, the authors found that collaborating with a vascular surgeon was associated with increased revascularization success rates, lower amputation rates and “enhanced margin-negative resections.”
“The most critical finding of this study is the clinical impact of vascular surgery on surgical outcomes while working with multiple specialties,” the authors wrote. “The studies included in this review reported a success rate of ≤99% in hemorrhage control when vascular surgeons were involved in emergency cases, reinforcing their role as critical responders in life-threatening situations.”
Tracking the financial benefits of vascular surgeon utilization
Vascular surgeons also appear to be quite profitable for hospitals and health systems.
“Vascular surgery was shown consistently to be a viable and productive resource for the health care system across studies,” the authors wrote.
One example of that trend was an analysis that pointed to vascular surgery providing 6% of facility’s total gross margin while only accounting for 3% of its total inpatient volume. Another study found that using vascular surgeons as co-surgeons during operations yielded one facility approximately 16,200 wRVUs and approximately $77.5 million in supply charges.
The salaries for vascular surgeons, on the other hand, do not always seem to increase as one may expect when tracking trends in wRVU generation.
“Although vascular surgeons play a key role in hospital profitability, their salary adjustments do not reflect their increasing workload and financial impact,” Malgor and colleagues wrote.
Looking ahead, the group emphasized that hospitals and healthcare systems “must ensure adequate staffing and resource allocation to maintain high-quality patient care and support to other service lines.”
“Workforce shortages in vascular surgery will continue to have widespread consequences, potentially leading to increased perioperative complications, longer hospital stays owing to delayed consultations, and issues with transfers owing to a lack of local coverage,” the authors wrote. “Additionally, incorporating vascular surgeons into multidisciplinary surgical teams should be encouraged through institutional policies, ensuring that their expertise is available preoperatively when needed rather than on an ad hoc basis.”
They also called on hospital leaders to view investing in vascular surgery as a high-yield strategy for improving patient care and system sustainability.
Click here for the full analysis from the Journal of Vascular Surgery, an official publication of the Society for Vascular Surgery.
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.