Temporal trends in outpatient right colectomy: a contemporary multistate study

Area of Science:

• Colorectal Surgery
• Health Services Research
• Surgical Outcomes

Background:

• Outpatient colectomy is a safe and effective procedure.
• Standardized perioperative care enables early discharge after colorectal surgery.
• National trends in outpatient right colectomy (ORC) require examination to guide future practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine national trends in the utilization of outpatient right colectomy (ORC).
• To assess changes in cost and readmission rates associated with ORC.
• To inform future practice patterns for ambulatory colorectal surgery.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study using Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project databases (2016-2021).
• Defined outpatient surgery as length of stay ≤ 1 day.
• Analyzed annual frequency, proportion, total cost, and 30-day readmission rates of ORC.

Main Results:

• ORC utilization increased significantly in frequency and proportion from 2016 to 2021.
• Minimally invasive approaches were used in 85.8% of ORC cases.
• No significant changes in 30-day readmission rates were observed, but total costs increased from $9,447 to $14,544.

Conclusions:

• The practice of ORC has grown over a five-year period without impacting readmission rates.
• Increasing costs associated with ORC may reflect greater resource needs for ambulatory postoperative care.
• Findings support the continued evaluation of ORC to optimize patient care and resource allocation.