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Quality Snapshot

 

Stay informed and aligned with the latest Quality priorities through our collection of articles designed for providers and internal teams. This page serves as a centralized resource for various topics such as: best practices, regulatory guidance, and performance insights that support quality improvement initiatives. You’ll find helpful, actionable content to help enhance patient outcomes, ensure compliance, and drive consistent, high-quality care for our members, your patients.

Preventable surgical harm remains a significant patient safety concern and an ongoing priority for high-quality care. Buckeye Health Plan is committed to partnering with providers to support consistent, evidence-based surgical practices that improve outcomes across care settings.

The need for continued focus on surgical safety is well established. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that complications following inpatient surgery occur in up to 25% of patients, and at least half of these events may be preventable.

In the United States, preventable “never events” continue to occur despite established safeguards. A systematic review published in JAMA Surgery found median rates of 0.09 wrong-site surgeries and 1.32 retained surgical items per 10,000 procedures. Additionally, The Joint Commission reported 112 wrong surgeries and 110 unintended retained foreign objects in 2023, underscoring the importance of sustained vigilance and adherence to safety protocols.

Consistent use of standardized surgical safety practices remains critical. Providers are encouraged to reinforce:

  • Preoperative verification processes
  • Surgical site marking
  • Surgical time-outs
  • Instrument and sponge counts
  • Postoperative debriefing
  • Ongoing surgeon and team-based education

Evidence shows that structured safety programs, such as those supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), can help reduce surgical complications and improve adherence to best practices through team training and standardized workflows.

Buckeye Health Plan supports provider efforts to strengthen surgical safety through education, quality initiatives, and alignment with national best practices. By working together to reinforce standardized protocols and continuous learning, we can reduce preventable harm and improve health care outcomes for our members.

References & Resources