A Closer Look at the
The Deloitte & Touche report entitled The Economic Impact of Laparoscopic Surgery found that the laparoscopic approach provides a cost-effective alternative to traditional open surgery. Based on findings comparing four surgical procedures (Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopically Assisted Vaginal Hysterectomy, Laparoscopically Assisted Inguinal Repair and Thoracoscopic Wedge Resection), the D&T study is unique in that it compares not only hospital charges but hospital costs, physician costs and short-term disability costs. Study results were based on data culled from 4,500 procedures in 15 hospitals, including six located in Europe. The nine hospitals in the United States represented a broad range of medical experience and varied considerably in size, the number of surgical cases relative to beds, and the number of laparoscopic equipment set-ups relative to surgical cases. Both urban and suburban centers were used as well as academic and community hospitals. Information on employee disability costs, hospitalization and physician costs was provided by two Fortune 500 companies. Both the American Medical Association and the American College of Surgeons reviewed the preliminary results and were asked to comment on the study's methodology in order to provide suggestions before the study was expanded.
Deloitte & Touche Study
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