Patient Outcomes for Pancreas & Biliary Surgery

At Massachusetts General Hospital, we believe it's important to provide safe and effective care. The Department of Surgery tracks many performance measures and compares them to national data including:

• Distal Pancreatomy Outcomes
• Pancreatectomy Case Volumes
• Patient Ratings of Pancreatic Surgeons
• Pancreatectomy Length of Stay
• Whipple Procedure Outcomes

Distal Pancreatomy Outcomes

Mass General fistula outcomes are exemplary and the remaining outcomes are comparable to the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) norms, given the high number of very ill and extremely complex patients we serve. Lower percentages are better.

At Mass General, patient safety is a priority. Our rates of complications from the distal pancreatectomy procedure are comparable to the national norms.

The following chart shows the Distal Pancreatomy Outcomes from July 2018 to June 2019. 19.6% is the Mass General and national rate for any complication. 5.4% is the Mass General rate for sepsis. 4.6 is the national rate. 9.1% is the Mass General rate for surgical infection. 14.1% is the National rate. 3.6% is the Mass General rate for fistula. 12.7% is the national rate. 0.0% is the Mass General rate for unplanned intubation. 1.8% is the national rate. 7.1% is the Mass General rate for delayed gastric emptying. 5.5% is the national rate.The star symbol indicates that performance is statistically better than the benchmark.

   ★ Performance is statistically better than the benchmark
= Performance is statistically similar to the benchmark
   ▼ Performance is statistically worse than the benchmark

Mass General data: American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) Database
Data period: July 2018 - June 2019
* Fistula: An abnormal opening between the pancreas and surrounding tissue, organs or vessels
** Intubation: Insertion of a tube into a hollow organ (such as the trachea) for ventilation
*** Delayed Gastric Emptying: Inability of the stomach to empty its contents into the small intestine

Pancreatectomy Case Volumes

Mass General's pancreatectomy volume greatly exceeds the recommended minimum standard of 20 cases per year. Higher volumes mean more experience.

Hospitals that perform higher numbers of pancreatectomy procedures have better outcomes. Mass General performs a large number of pancreatectomy procedures when compared to the national average of hospitals performing the procedure.

The following chart shows the Pancreatectomy Case Volumes from January to December 2019. Mass General performed 204 total cases. 40 cases in the national average.

Source: Mass General Hospital and Viziant, formerly University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC)
Data period: January - December 2019

Patient Ratings of Pancreatic Surgeons

Mass General's pancreatic surgeons are highly rated. Higher percentages are better.

Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys ask patients to evaluate their experiences with health care. In 2019, Mass General surgeons rated highly compared to national patient ratings of all doctors.

The following chart shows the Patient Ratings of Pancreatic Surgeons from January to December 2019. 93% of patients rate Mass General doctors 9 or 10 (10 is top score). 80% is the national rate. 94% of patients would definitely recommend a Mass General doctor. 76% is the national rate.

Mass General and national data: Quality Data Management (QDM) CAHPS Clinician and Groups Patient Survey
Data period: January - December 2019

Pancreatectomy Length of Stay (LOS)

The rate at which patients at Mass General are able to leave the hospital are comparable to the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) norms. Lower percentage is better.

Shorter stays at Mass General result from more efficient care and fewer complications. When compared to the national norms, there are fewer patients with hospital stays greater than eight days at Mass General.

The following chart shows the Pancreatectomy Length of Stay from July 2018 to June 2019. 21% of patients stay at Mass General greater than eight days following whipple pranceatecomy. 25% is the national rate. 9.5% of patients stay at Mass General greater than eight days following distal pranceatecomy. 15.9% is the national rate.

Mass General data: American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program [ACS-NSQIP] Database
Data period: July 2018 - June 2019

Whipple Procedure Outcomes

Mass General's whipple procedure outcomes are comparable to the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) norms, given the high number of very ill and extremely complex patients we serve. Lower percentages are better.

At Mass General, patient safety is a priority. Our rates of complications from the whipple procedure are comparable to the national norms.

The following chart shows the Whipple Procedure Outcomes from July 2018 to June 2019. 0.8% is Mass General's rate of mortality. 1.7% is the national rate. 33.8% is Mass General's rate of any complication. 30.1 is the national rate. 25.2 is Mass General's rate of surgical infection. 21.9% is the national rate. 9.8% is Mass General's rate of fistula. 12.7% is the national rate. 16.5% is the Mass General rate of delayed gastric emptying. 16.4% is the national rate. 3.0% is the Mass General rate of unplanned return to the operating room. 5.5% is the national rate.

Mass General data: American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) Database
Mortality [death] includes: Discharge and 30-day mortality
Data period: July 2018 - June 2019
*Fistula: An abnormal opening between the pancreas and surrounding tissue, organs or vessels
**Delayed Gastric Emptying: Inability of the stomach to empty its contents into the small intestine