Simulated data-driven hospital selection for surgical treatment of well-differentiated thyroid cancer in older adults

Abstract

BackgroundThyroid surgery at high-quality hospitals is associated with fewer complications. We evaluated the impact of referring older adults with thyroid cancer to higher-performing local hospitals. MethodsWe performed a simulation study of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results–Medicare patients, aged ≥66 years, who underwent a thyroidectomy for well-differentiated thyroid cancer (2013–2017). An 80% sample was used to calculate each hospital’s risk-standardized 30-day serious adverse event rate, dividing hospitals into quartiles by performance. Hospitals located ≤30 miles of the remaining 20% of patients were compared, and 30-day serious adverse event rates and costs were simulated as if patients were treated at higher-quality hospitals using logistic regression with each alternative hospital’s fixed-effect. ResultsWe identified 8,946 patients who underwent thyroid resection at 843 hospitals. Average risk-adjusted serious adverse event rates ranged from 13.9% to 52.9% between quartile 1 and 4 hospitals (P < .001). We identified higher-quality hospitals for 43.7% of patients. Simulating care at the best local hospital reduced predicted serious adverse event rates from 25.6% (95% confidence interval, 24.7–26.4) to 16.2% (95% confidence interval, 15.5–16.8; P < .001), while modestly lowering average costs from $12,883 (95% confidence interval, 12,500–13,267) to $12,679 (95% confidence interval, 12,304–13,056; P = .029). ConclusionSimulated care at higher-performing hospitals decreased serious adverse event rates after thyroid resection. Optimizing hospital selection may reduce postoperative morbidity without compromising preferences for local treatment.