Major disasters tax surgical staff but may reduce costs for routine operations

September 25, 2009

New research published in the September issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons offers important insights into the long-term impact of a major disaster on routine surgical services in a hospital. In the study, researchers at Ochsner Health System, New Orleans, LA, showed that although Hurricane Katrina resulted in a significant loss of surgical staff and an increase in the number of uninsured patients undergoing operations, greater cost efficiencies were achieved.

Hurricane Katrina forced 11 major hospitals in the New Orleans metropolitan area to close. Ochsner Health System was one of the three hospitals that remained functional during the storm. The ripple effects of Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans on August 29, 2005, continue to be experienced today in the hospitals currently serving the area.

"Hurricane Katrina placed enormous burdens on our institution but forced us to learn how to run an operating room with fewer full-time employees, which required staff to cover and share more duties," said William S. Richardson, MD, FACS, department of surgery, Ochsner Health System. "While geographic location is a major determinant of post-disaster success, a sound disaster preparedness plan and the ability to adapt quickly can allow a hospital to function effectively during and after circumstances as extreme as Hurricane Katrina."

Using a prospectively collected database, researchers compared patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) - surgical removal of the gallbladder through a tiny incision in the abdomen - before and after at Ochsner Health System. Because there was little operative activity due to low population in the area initially after the storm, researchers compared patients undergoing LC during the seven months preceding the storm with patients undergoing LC in the seven months after the first three months post-storm, when operative volume was closer to pre-storm level. The researchers said that the establishment of clear lines of communication to displaced employees and providing transportation and housing for evacuated employees were key factors to achieving pre-storm levels of operative volume in a relatively short period of time.

Total cases included 196 pre-storm and 167 post-storm outpatient operations and 62 pre-storm and 64 post-storm inpatient operations. The study did not find a significant change in operative time, length-of-stay or turnover time, despite staffing difficulties in the operative area. The percentage of inpatient cases increased from 39 percent pre-storm to 45 percent post-storm. Post-storm costs decreased for both inpatient and outpatient operations, largely because the hospital was required to perform procedures with fewer staff. Revenue was down for inpatient operations and up slightly for outpatient operations. The change in profit was not significant.

There was a decrease in the number of privately insured patients, with a concomitant increase in Medicare, Medicaid, and noninsured patients for both inpatient and outpatient operations. The largest shift in payer mix was observed in the inpatient group. Reimbursement decreased from 43.7 percent to 41.1 percent.

Source: Weber Shandwick Worldwide (news : web)


Rank not rated yet
Related Stories
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

New ability to regrow blood vessels holds promise for treatment of heart disease

(Medical Xpress) -- University of Texas at Austin researchers have demonstrated a new and more effective method for regrowing blood vessels in the heart and limbs — a research advancement that could have ...

Medicine & Health / Research

created 57 minutes ago | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Motivation to exercise affects behavior

(Medical Xpress) -- For many people, the motivation to exercise fluctuates from week to week, and these fluctuations predict whether they will be physically active, according to researchers at Penn State. In an effort to ...

Medicine & Health / Health

created 47 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

'It's not nutritious until it's eaten'

As part of her "Let's Move! Initiative," First Lady Michelle Obama unveiled a new web resource highlighting new changes in the Chefs Move to Schools, during a CMST gathering in Dallas, TX today. CMTS advocates ...

Medicine & Health / Health

created 34 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New tumor suppressor gene identified

A recent study published in Clinical Cancer Research suggests that the protein hVps37A suppresses tumor growth in ovarian cancer. The work, which was funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, shows, for th ...

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created 1 hour ago | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Social psychologist: Lust makes you smarter and evidence that seven deadly sins are good for you

(Medical Xpress) -- Good news for lovers on Valentine’s Day - the seven deadly sins, including Lust, are good for you. University of Melbourne social psychologist Dr Simon Laham uses modern research to make a compelling ...

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created 3 hours ago | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0


Fast photon control brings quantum photonic technologies closer

(PhysOrg.com) -- Using photons instead of electrons to transmit information could lead to faster and more secure ways to communicate, among other advantages. Now a team of physicists has taken another step toward realizing ...

Planck mission steps closer to the cosmic blueprint

(PhysOrg.com) -- ESA's Planck mission has revealed that our Galaxy contains previously undiscovered islands of cold gas and a mysterious haze of microwaves. These results give scientists new treasure to mine ...

A lost world? How zooarchaeology can inform biodiversity conservation

A new study of tropical forests will provide a 50,000-year perspective on how animal biodiversity has changed, explored through an archaeological investigation of animal bones.

Myths and shame keep many from seeking bankruptcy protection

(PhysOrg.com) -- Two interesting facts that may counter modern ideas about bankruptcy: The overwhelming majority of U.S. filings belong to individuals rather than corporations or entities, and most of these ...

Big Society could threaten biodiversity conservation

A study of the Moray Firth Seal Management Plan (MFSMP), in north-east Scotland, identified four key conditions for long-term success, three of which pointed to the importance of direct government involvement.

Independent group inspects Apple supplier

(AP) -- An independent group, the Fair Labor Association, has started auditing Apple Inc.'s Chinese supplier Foxconn after a request by Apple.