Center for Health Statistics
Texas Health Care Information Collection
Hospital Level Reports
UTILIZATION INDICATORS
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: Risk-Adjusted Utilization Rate
Cholecystectomy (surgical removal of the gall bladder) is now performed with a laparoscope in most uncomplicated cases. The majority of these procedures are done on an outpatient basis. In less severe cases, the laparoscopic technique is associated with fewer complications than the traditional open method. However, the laparoscopic technique might not be possible due to patient condition or anatomy. Since this report includes only those cases that are performed on hospital inpatients, it does not present a complete picture of the occurrence of this procedure. The rate provides useful information on hospital practice patterns on cholecystectomies, but high or low rates are not in themselves indicators of good or poor quality. Rather, low rates might reflect the share of procedures performed on an outpatient basis, and high rates might in some cases reflect the removal of gall bladders from patients with marginal clinical indications to undergo cholecystectomy.
The data for this indicator are not included in the report. You may a copy of the results. The rates should be used with caution.