outcomes

May 26, 2020

ASCO press program highlights COVID-19 outcomes in lung cancer patients

People with thoracic cancers sickened by COVID-19 were especially vulnerable to deaths with a 35% mortality rate, according to early results from TERAVOLT, a global consortium that tracks outcomes among this vulnerable patient population.

By Tom Wilemon
March 5, 2020

Study shows heart failure mortality higher in low-income areas

Patients discharged from the hospital with acute heart failure have higher one-year mortality rates in regions with low income or greater income inequality, according to a new global study whose authors include Sean Collins, MD, MSc, professor of Emergency Medicine at Vanderbilt.

By Matt Batcheldor
January 9, 2020

Impact of weight gain from early to middle adulthood explored

An analysis of weight gain occurring from early to middle adulthood indicates that the added weight is associated with multiple health outcomes in later life.

By Tom Wilemon
February 15, 2017

Patient complaints can identify surgeons with higher rates of bad surgical outcomes: study

Recording and analyzing patient and family reports about rude and disrespectful behavior can identify surgeons with higher rates of surgical site infections and other avoidable adverse outcomes, according to a study led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) investigators in collaboration with six other major academic health systems.

By Jill Clendening
A caregiver talking to a wheelchair-bound patient
February 8, 2017

Social risk factors influence outcomes, Medicare payment

Social risk factors including income, education and ethnic background influence health outcomes and should be taken into account in Medicare payment models, according to a New England Journal of Medicine “Perspective” titled “Social Risk Factors and Equity in Medicare Payment.”

By Craig Boerner
Illustration of human intestinal tract
May 28, 2015

New colorectal surgery protocol reduces length of hospital stay by 25 percent

For colorectal surgery patients at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the introduction last summer of a new patient care protocol, which includes intensive follow-up by anesthesiologists in the hospital, has led to an average 25 percent reduction in hospital length of stay after surgery — from four days to three — and 90 percent reduction in the use of opioids to treat post-operative pain.

By Paul Govern