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Study shows health care costs lower for patients treated by female surgeons (About 25% less)
Medical Xpress / HealthDay / JAMA Surgery ^ | Dec. 1, 2023 | Lori Solomon / Christopher J. D. Wallis et al / Ursula Adams et al

Posted on 12/04/2023 8:44:51 AM PST by ConservativeMind

Health care costs are lower for patients treated by female surgeons versus those treated by male surgeons, according to a study published online Nov. 29 in JAMA Surgery.

Christopher J. D. Wallis, M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Toronto, and colleagues examined associations between surgeon sex and costs of surgical care using data from 1.2 million adult patients undergoing one of 25 common elective or emergent surgical procedures from 2007 through 2019.

The researchers found that at the procedure-specific level and when adjusting for patient-, surgeon-, anesthesiologist-, and hospital-level covariates, one-year total health care costs were higher for patients treated by male surgeons ($24,882) versus female surgeons ($18,517; adjusted relative risk, 1.10). At 30 and 90 days, similar patterns persisted (adjusted absolute differences, $3,115 and $4,228, respectively).

"These data further underscore the importance of creating inclusive policies and environments supportive of women surgeons to improve recruitment and retention of a more diverse and representative workforce," the authors write. "Furthermore, they justify work to better understand the personality traits and practice behaviors that underpin these sex-based differences in outcomes. Together, these actions are vital for offering the highest value care for all patients undergoing surgery."

(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: femalesurgeons; healthcare; healthcarecosts
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This seems a real difference.

Understanding why is different, and the brief write up doesn’t offer much insight to that. However, it could be they were more diligent or careful, in some form.

I definitely would encourage everyone to do diligence on whomever will do serious work on you.

Maybe ask a doctor you do trust as to who they would personally use, along with reviews.

1 posted on 12/04/2023 8:44:51 AM PST by ConservativeMind
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To: Mazey; ckilmer; goodnesswins; Jane Long; BusterDog; jy8z; ProtectOurFreedom; matthew fuller; ...

The “Take Charge Of Your Health” Ping List

This high volume ping list is for health articles and studies which describe something you or your doctor, when informed, may be able to immediately implement for your benefit.

Email me to get on either the “Common/Top Issues” (20 - 25% fewer pings) or “Everything” list.

2 posted on 12/04/2023 8:45:20 AM PST by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: ConservativeMind

Because they died?


3 posted on 12/04/2023 8:45:50 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: ConservativeMind

Perhaps because there are more recently-trained female surgeons so they have newer knowledge?


4 posted on 12/04/2023 8:47:55 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom (“Occupy your mind with good thoughts or your enemy will fill them with bad ones.” ~ Thomas More)
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To: ConservativeMind
Study shows health care costs lower for patients treated by female surgeons (About 25% less)

Does that mean female surgeons skimp on needed treatment options? I don't need a surgeon whose primary concern is saving on health care costs.
5 posted on 12/04/2023 8:49:17 AM PST by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: dfwgator

Without understanding the QUALITY of patient outcomes, I really don’t care if the costs were lower.


6 posted on 12/04/2023 8:49:50 AM PST by Blueflag (Res ipsa loquitur: ad ferre non, velit esse sine defensione)
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To: Blueflag

7 posted on 12/04/2023 8:55:32 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: AnotherUnixGeek

“Does that mean female surgeons skimp on needed treatment options? I don’t need a surgeon whose primary concern is saving on health care costs.”

Or it could mean that male surgeons order unnecessary treatment options. I don’t need a surgeon whose primary concern is running up health care costs to enrich himself.


8 posted on 12/04/2023 9:01:24 AM PST by JSM_Liberty
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

Having worked with female surgeons, it’s not at all surprising. They have the “mom” factor that men don’t have (estrogen and oxytocin) so like cooking, seasoned with love. There’s a reason we’re called the “delicate sex.” Women generally have a stronger spirit/ heart connection and pass that healing energy on. They’re ignorant of frequency medicine if they don’t understand this.


9 posted on 12/04/2023 9:02:04 AM PST by pops88 ( Helping usher the glory of God into Las Vegas)
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To: ConservativeMind

I don’t know the reason, but I would suspect that female surgeons may be less influenced by the breast size of the sales reps pitching them the equipment they use and implant that male surgeons.

After working in the health care industry for more than a decade, anyone telling you it is or ever will be a market driven economy is an abject idiot.


10 posted on 12/04/2023 9:06:01 AM PST by HamiltonJay
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To: JSM_Liberty

Most likely, Male surgeons are buying more expensive equipment from vendors who’s sales reps have large breasts, and bigger kickbacks to the surgeons than female surgeons.

Probably more to it than that, but I guarantee anyone actually does a deep dive, they will find this to be a very real and significant factor.


11 posted on 12/04/2023 9:08:42 AM PST by HamiltonJay
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To: ConservativeMind

I will say that the VAST majority of female surgeons I’ve met (and I’ve met a lot) seem to be native born Americans, with a very few Europeans mixed in.

I’ve also noticed that the VAST majority, and perhaps all, of physicians I’ve seen who view their patients only as cash cows, who perform (or at least bill for) whatever tests / procedures have the highest believable billing codes rather than what is best for the patient, appear not to be from quite the same background as most female surgeons.

This study may be confounded by other factors that affect what cultures in the US produce female surgeons.


12 posted on 12/04/2023 9:12:43 AM PST by Jubal Harshaw
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To: JSM_Liberty
Or it could mean that male surgeons order unnecessary treatment options. I don’t need a surgeon whose primary concern is running up health care costs to enrich himself.

Not comparable in scope or severity. A surgeon fixated on saving costs could seriously impact your health as a patient in a negative way. A surgeon who runs up costs with unnecessary bills may impact your wallet (and your insurer's), but he's not going to cost you your health or your life.

If it's a choice between the former and the latter and I'm the one on the operating table (as I have been twice in the last two years), I know which I'll choose every time.
13 posted on 12/04/2023 9:26:08 AM PST by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: ConservativeMind

Does the study include female surgeons with penises?


14 posted on 12/04/2023 9:41:30 AM PST by Wilderness Conservative (Nature is the ultimate conservative)
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To: ConservativeMind

Tomorrow they will frame the same data as a bad thing since then it will show female surgeons are being paid less.


15 posted on 12/04/2023 9:51:08 AM PST by pas
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To: AnotherUnixGeek

Not at all true. A surgeon who is fixated on running up bills may expose the patient to more surgical, anesthetic, and other side effects, up to and including death. Even just pretending to do a procedure (for billing purposes) while not actually completing the procedure (as described here:

https://www.bookofjoe.com/2006/04/behindthemedspe_6.html

Can have dire consequences.


16 posted on 12/04/2023 10:26:04 AM PST by Jubal Harshaw
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To: ConservativeMind

Are male surgeons a higher percentage of the best surgeons, the cutting-edge doctors, the risk-taking doctors, the ones who are the last-ditch effort for the truly desperate and low-chance patients?

When it comes to the toughest cases, are male doctors overly represented in taking on those patients?


17 posted on 12/04/2023 11:32:49 AM PST by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: ConservativeMind

adjusted relative risk, 1.10


What does this mean here?


18 posted on 12/04/2023 11:56:37 AM PST by lepton ("It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into"--Jonathan Swift)
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To: ConservativeMind

I recentpy had day surgery. Iyt was painful. I had a choise between a feale surgeon and a male surgeon.

I ch9se the female.

She was gentle and kind, and very dextrous.

So I had a very quick , uncomplicated recovery.

I think that women surgeons have a more gentle approach, and are more gentle in treatment.


19 posted on 12/05/2023 3:48:25 AM PST by Candor7 (Ask not for whom Trump Trolls,He trolls for thee!)<img src=""width=500></img>)
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To: ConservativeMind

They combined the data for elective and emergent cases...

Okaaaaay...


20 posted on 12/05/2023 3:50:38 AM PST by mewzilla (Never give up; never surrender!)
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