The Hidden Pandemic: the Cost of Postoperative Complications

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Population-based increases in ageing and medical co-morbidities are expected to substantially increase the incidence of expensive postoperative complications. This threatens the sustainability of essential surgical care, with negative impacts on patients’ health and wellbeing. RECENT FINDINGS: Identification of key high-risk areas, and implementation of proven cost-effective strategies to manage both outcome and cost across the end-to-end journey of the surgical episode of care, is clearly feasible. However, good programme design and formal cost-effectiveness analysis is critical to identify, and implement, true high value change. SUMMARY: Both outcome and cost need to be a high priority for both fundholders and clinicians in perioperative care, with the focus for both groups on delivering high-quality care, which in itself, is the key to good cost management.