Neurology & Neurosurgery Quality Measures
The Neurology and Neurosurgery team at Cedars-Sinai strives to deliver the highest quality of care to all patients. As part of this commitment, we are dedicated to providing transparency for our patient outcome rates across a number of procedures.
The information below provides an in-depth look at the data for key procedures performed by Cedars-Sinai, as well as their outcome rates, including mortality and length of hospital stay. These reports aim to reduce ambiguity in procedure outcome data, so that patients and their loved ones can make decisions with the utmost confidence regarding their medical care.
Brain Tumor
The Brain Tumor Program of the Cedars-Sinai Department of Neurosurgery monitors a number of measures in its commitment to the quality of care it gives to patients.
To treat a patient who has a brain tumor, a neurosurgeon must usually perform a craniotomy. This is a type of brain surgery in which a piece of bone is temporarily removed from the skull to give neurosurgeons access to the brain. When the procedure is done, the bone is usually replaced using titanium plates, screws, wires or other methods of keeping the bone in place.
The data shown in the graphs below comes from the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC), an alliance of more than 300 of the nation's nonprofit academic medical centers and their affiliated hospitals. Most of these facilities participate in UHC's Clinical Database/Resource Manager.
Volume of Procedures
The graph below shows the volume of craniotomies performed at Cedars-Sinai for the past 3 years.
Average Length of Stay
The following graph compares the observed (actual) numbers of days a patient undergoing a craniotomy stayed at Cedars-Sinai with the number of days a patient of the same gender and age with a similar diagnosis, procedure and complications would be expected to stay in the hospital. A lower number is generally better.
Mortality Rate
The following graph compares the actual percentage of patients undergoing a craniotomy who died before being discharged from Cedars-Sinai with the percent of expected deaths for patients of the same age and gender with a similar diagnosis, procedure and complications. A lower percentage is better.
Among the most common—and most malignant—of tumors that originate in the brain are glioblastoma tumors. At the Cedars-Sinai Department of Neurosurgery, patients of all ages are treated for these tumors. The age distribution of patients treated at Cedars-Sinai for glioblastoma tumors is shown in the graph below.
The graph below describes the site of the glioblastoma tumors treated at the Cedars-Sinai Department of Neurosurgery.
The graph below compares the survival rate for patients who were treated for glioblastoma multiforme brain tumors with the dendritic vaccine developed at Cedars-Sinai with research results by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC).
The EORTC Brain Tumor Group is an international, multidisciplinary group of neurosurgeons, neurologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and basic scientists. It conducts, develops, coordinates and stimulates research on the treatment of primary and secondary brain tumors. To this end the Brain Tumor Group is fundamentally based on prospective studies.
Stroke
Offering the highest level of care, including neurointensive care units, complex neurosurgical interventions and advanced brain and blood-vessel imaging, Cedars-Sinai has been designated as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by The Joint Commission.
Stroke Care and Treatment
This advanced certification recognizes the significant resources in staff and training that comprehensive stroke centers must have to treat complex stroke cases.
We're proud to be among the first 5 in the nation to receive this prestigious and rigorous designation and the first Comprehensive Stroke Center in Southern California. Learn more about our performance on Stroke Care Core Measures.
At the Cedars-Sinai Stroke Program, we also monitor our performance against the standards created in the Get With the Guidelines® Stroke program sponsored by the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association. Since 2003, more than 2,000 hospitals have shared more than 5 million patient records for feedback and analysis. Our performance on their measures is summarized in the graphs below.
The chart below compares the type of patients treated at Cedars-Sinai with all patients reported by hospitals nationally.
Patients treated at Cedars-Sinai had one of the following types of strokes:
- Hemorrhagic, in which blood leaks from a blood vessel into brain tissue, and further divided into one of two types:
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage, in which a blood vessel just outside the brain ruptures and the area of the skull surrounding the brain (the subarachnoid space) quickly fills with blood
- Intracerebral hemorrhage, in which there is bleeding inside the brain that causes a buildup of pressure and damage to brain cells
- Ischemic, in which a blood clot shuts off the flow of blood to parts of the brain
- Transient ischemic attacks, a strokelike event where parts of the brain do not receive enough blood for a brief period of time, often an early warning sign of an ischemic stroke
The chart below compares the percentage of people treated for each type of stroke at Cedars-Sinai and nationally.
Thrombolytics are powerful drugs used to break up blood clots that cause ischemic strokes. The drug is usually given through a vein in the arm. To be effective, the drug must be given less than 4½ hours after a stroke occurs.
The chart below compares the percentage of patients receiving thrombolytics in a timely manner at Cedars-Sinai and nationally. A higher percentage is better.
Note: Not all people having ischemic strokes benefit from thrombolytics. The drug has certain side effects that a doctor must consider before deciding whether thrombolytics is the best treatment for a stroke patient.
Patient education following a stroke can help prevent future strokes. The chart below compares how many Cedars-Sinai patients received education following a stroke compared to hospitals nationally. A higher percentage is better.
A stroke can cause damage to the brain that makes it difficult for a person to return to normal daily activities. Rehabilitation after a stroke can help a person live with any remaining effects of a stroke and help the brain recover more fully. The chart below shows the percentage of stroke patients treated at Cedars-Sinai for whom a rehabilitation plan was considered, compared to hospitals nationally. A higher percentage is better.
The graph below shows the percentage of patients at Cedars-Sinai who died in the hospital after being admitted following a hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke, compared to hospitals nationally. A lower percentage is better.
The following chart shows the percentage of patients at Cedars-Sinai who were discharged to their own homes (with and without home health care), inpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing facilities or other locations.
Have Questions or Need Help?
If you have questions or wish to learn more about quality measures at Cedars-Sinai, please send us a message.