[Effectiveness and economics of private practice established surgeons, exemplified by ambulatory laparoscopic cholecystectomy in 1994 and 1996]

Abstract

Ambulatory laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a safe procedure providing high patient satisfaction if performed by an experienced surgeon. These are the results of a prospective documentation of 150 outpatients to undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy between 1994 and 1996. Patients returned to work early (mean 13.2 days off). No patient had to be admitted to hospital following ambulatory operation. All patients declared that they would have the operation performed in the same way a second time if necessary at all. Looking at the money earned for the ambulatory operation compared to the costs, there is a deficit of nearly DM 800 with each performance. Despite the good results and the great satisfaction on the part of the patients, outpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy will not be widely performed until and unless the surgeons costs are at least covered.