Caesarean

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California Health Care Almanac

December 23, 2011 in HC Statistics, Quality | No comments

The California Health Care Foundation (CHCF)’s Health Care Almanac provides some unique insights on trends in health care quality in California and for the United States as a whole.  Many of the national figures for the Almanac come from the CDC (BRFSS and Vital Stats) and AHRQ’s National Healthcare Quality Report.  California quality figures come from the California Department of Public Health, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development and the California Health Interview Survey.

Although not discussed in this post, another portion of the Health Care Almanac looks at quality by site of service.  Much of this data comes from Hospital Compare, CMS OASIS data, AHRQ’s National Healthcare Quality Report, and the Dartmouth Atlas.

Today I highlight 3 topics related to clinical quality:

  • Cesarean Deliveries
  • Infant Mortality
  • Cancer Incidence.

More detail is below.

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“The country’s dismal rates of vaginal birth after Caesarean”

March 9, 2010 in Nonphysician Clinicians, Physician Compensation | No comments

From the N.Y. Times:

The national Caesarean rate, 31.8 percent, has been rising steadily for the last 11 years and is fed by repeat patients. Critics say that doctors are performing too many Caesareans, needlessly exposing women and infants to surgical risks and running up several billion dollars a year in excess bills, precisely the kind of overuse that a health care overhaul is supposed to address.

In fact, the rate of vaginal birth after Caesarean (VBAC) is now below 10%.  Some doctors claim that VBACs risk tearing the mother’s scar tissue on her uterus, but others–including the profiled women on a Navajo reservation–successfully undergo multiple VBACs.  Why are the rates VBAC rates so low?

  • Fears of malpractice
  • Physicians make more money Caesarean rather than a vaginal birth
  • Caesarean’s use fewer physician hours than vaginal births
  • Fewer expected number of pregnancies
  • Patient demand

Why are Caesarean rates so much lower on the Navajo reservation?  On the reservation, physicians are federally insured against malpractice, are paid a salary, and the use of midwives is much more common.  Additionally, Navajo “couples often want more than two children, but repeated Caesareans increase the risk of each pregnancy, so doctors and patients are motivated to avoid the surgery.”

To see further evidence of how different physician compensation methods can alter surgery rates, see my own study in Health Economics.

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