Hospital Variation in Cholecystectomies in The Netherlands: A Nationwide Observational Study

Background: Practice variation generally raises concerns about the quality of care. This study determined the longitudinal degree of hospital variation in proportion of patients with gallstone disease undergoing cholecystectomy, while adjusted for case-mix, and the effect on clinical outcomes. Methods: A nationwide, longitudinal, database study was performed in all hospitals in the Netherlands in 2013–2015. Patients with gallstone disease were collected from the diagnosis-related group database. Hospital variation in case-mix-adjusted cholecystectomy rates was calculated per year. Clinical out... Mehr ...