• Neurosurgery Quality Measures

    The Pediatric Neurological Surgery Service at Texas Children’s Hospital is one of the largest in the nation. Five full time geographic faculty and several consulting surgeons perform close to 1000 surgical procedures and see over 2500 outpatients per year. We participate in a variety of multidisciplinary programs throughout the Texas Children’s Hospital healthcare delivery system. The Neurosurgery team is committed to continuous quality improvement and to achieving the best outcomes possible. On these pages you will find information about case volumes, mortality, infections, patient satisfaction and outpatient clinic management. We look forward to adding more information as it becomes available.

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    VP Shunt Infectionhigher is better
    Protocol Compliance
    2012-2013
    A ventriculoperitoneal shunt is a flexible tube that is placed within the fluid cavities of the brain to drain off excess fluid and route it to another part of the body where is can be absorbed. Texas Children's Hospital is participating in the Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network (HCRN) (www.hcrn.org) to improve outcomes for patients with hydrocephalus. We have instituted the HCRN pre-operative checklist to help reduce the risk of shunt infections. The goal is to be 100% compliant with the protocol. The HCRN average for all participating centers is 71.4%.
    VP Shunt Infection Ratelower is better
    Per 100 Surgeries
    2012-2013
    Most patients at Texas Children’s Hospital who have shunt surgery do well. The most common early complication of shunt placement is infection. Texas Children’s is participating in the Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network (HCRN) (www.hcrn.org) to improve outcomes for patients with hydrocephalus. We have instituted the HCRN pre-operative checklist to help reduce the risk of shunt infections. Our goal is for no child to develop a shunt infection. The HCRN average for all participating centers ranges from 4% to 9%.
    Brain & Spinal Cord Tumorlower is better
    Operative Death Within 30 Days
    2012-2013
    At Texas Children's Hospital one of the primary outcomes we track is early post-operative death which is defined as death before discharge or within 30 days after a procedure. Our goal is to have zero early post-operative deaths out of the total number of Brain & Spinal Cord Tumor surgeries performed. To view surgical case volume, click on the Efficient tab. Hospitals that have higher volumes of specific surgical procedures have significantly lower inpatient mortality rates than lower volume counterparts. For reference information, please contact us.
    VP Shunt Placementlower is better
    Operative Death Within 30 Days
    2012-2013
    At Texas Children's Hospital one of the primary outcomes we track is early post-operative death which is defined as death before discharge or within 30 days after a procedure. Our goal is to have zero early post-operative deaths out of the total number of VP Shunt Placement/Revision surgeries performed. To view surgical case volume, click on the Efficient tab. Hospitals that have higher volumes of specific surgical procedures have significantly lower inpatient mortality rates than lower volume counterparts. For reference information, please contact us.
    Craniotomy for Brain Traumalower is better
    Operative Death Within 30 Days
    2012-2013
    At Texas Children's Hospital one of the primary outcomes we track is early post-operative death which is defined as death before discharge or within 30 days after a procedure. Our goal is to have zero early post-operative deaths out of the total number of Craniotomy for Brain Trauma surgeries performed. To view surgical case volume, click on the Efficient tab. Hospitals that have higher volumes of specific surgical procedures have significantly lower inpatient mortality rates than lower volume counterparts. For reference information, please contact us.
    Overall Satisfactionhigher is better
    Neurosurgery Inpatient Unit
    2012-2013
    At Texas Children's Hospital we survey our patients and families who receive services so we can learn where we can improve our care. Our goal is 100% of our patients and families will be satisfied with the care they receive here.
    Overall Satisfactionhigher is better
    Neurosurgery Outpatient Clinic
    2012-2013
    At Texas Children's Hospital we survey our patients and families who receive services so we can learn where we can improve our care. Our goal is 100% of our patients and families will be satisfied with the care they receive here.
    Appointment Availabilitylower is better
    Neurosurgery Outpatient Clinic
    2012-2013
    We know that our patients want to be seen as soon as possible in the Neurosurgery Outpatient Clinic. This measure answers the question of how many days our patients wait for an appointment to the Neurosurgery clinic. Our goal is for all patients to be seen in a timely manner. At the Texas Children's Hospital Neurosurgery Clinic nearly all patients are now seen within 2 to 3 days.
    Brain & Spinal Cord Tumorhigher is better
    Surgical Case Volume
    2012-2013
    We realize patients have a choice about which hospital to use for the care of pediatric neurological conditions. At Texas Children's Hospital we have a comprehensive multidisciplinary team that includes fellowship trained pediatric neurosurgeons who specialize in tumor surgery in the nervous system. Research has shown that high volume is associated with better outcomes across a wide range of procedures and conditions. For reference information, please contact us.
    VP Shunt Placement/Revision higher is better
    Surgical Case Volume
    2012-2013
    We realize patients have a choice about which hospital to use for the care of pediatric neurological conditions. At Texas Children's Hospital we have a comprehensive multidisciplinary team that includes fellowship trained pediatric neurosurgeons who specialize in the placement of vp shunts. Research has shown that high volume is associated with better outcomes across a wide range of procedures and conditions. For reference information, please contact us.
    Brain Trauma Case Volumehigher is better
    Inpatient Admits
    2012-2013
    We realize patients have a choice about which hospital to use for the care of pediatric neurological conditions. At Texas Children's Hospital we have a comprehensive multidisciplinary team that includes fellowship trained pediatric neurosurgeons who specialize in brain trauma surgery. Research has shown that high volume is associated with better outcomes across a wide range of procedures and conditions. For reference information, please contact us. * Data prior to this quarter reflects only patients undergoing craniotomy.