Comprehensive breast center improves quality of care for breast reconstruction

After opening a comprehensive breast center (CBC), one hospital achieved significant improvement in key measures of quality of care for women undergoing breast reconstruction, reports the November issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Centralized breast cancer care at CBCs can lead to more timely breast reconstruction for women undergoing breast cancer surgery, suggests the study by ASPS Member Surgeon Albert H. Chao, MD, and colleagues of The Ohio State University, Columbus. They write, “Access to breast reconstruction at our institution improved significantly after our CBC opened, with significant increases in internal referral rates and immediate reconstruction rates.”

Transition to CBC Improves Processes of Care

The researchers assessed “process of care” outcomes related to breast reconstruction before and after their hospital transitioned to a CBC approach. Comprehensive breast centers seek to improve patient care and outcomes by assembling a group of highly specialized practitioners—oncologists, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, and other professionals—to provide coordinated breast cancer care. The study compared 614 women treated for breast cancer before the CBC transition and 750 women treated afterward.

Surgical oncologists (breast cancer surgeons) at the hospital saw about the same number of patients during both periods. However, after the CBC transition, patients were more likely to be referred to a plastic surgeon for breast reconstruction. The referral rate increased from about 27 percent to 46 percent.

Women treated in the CBC were also referred more promptly for breast reconstruction. “The time between surgical oncology consultation and plastic surgery consultation decreased from 10.5 days to 3.6 days,” Dr Chao and coauthors write. The percentage of patients who saw that breast cancer surgeon and plastic surgeon on the same day increased from 6.5 percent before the CBC was opened, to 50 percent afterward.

Improved Access to Timely Breast Reconstruction

For women who underwent mastectomy, the CBC approach increased the rate of immediate breast reconstruction: from about 40 percent to over 52 percent. In this group, the time between the plastic surgery visit and mastectomy/breast reconstruction decreased from about 42 days to 30 days.

Rates of important types of complications after breast reconstruction surgery were about the same before and after the CBC approach.

Because long-term follow-up is needed to assess the oncologic outcomes of breast cancer (survival, etc), studies of the quality of care provided at CBCs have focused on processes of care. The new experience suggests that large hospitals transitioning to the CBC approach may be able to offer breast reconstruction to more patients, with shorter times to plastic surgery referral.

Dr Chao and coauthors write, “A new diagnosis of breast cancer can be distressing for a patient, and every day that passes between the time the diagnosis is made and the time treatment is administered can increase a patient's anxiety.” In the CBC approach, breast reconstruction consultations for new patients were scheduled in the afternoon, to enable more patients to have their surgical oncology and plastic surgery visits on the same day.

The researchers also note that the CBC approach was “financially sustainable” for their hospital, even after the investment in resources devoted to breast reconstruction. Dr Chao and colleagues conclude, “In breast reconstruction, a comprehensive breast center improves processes of care, and underscores the importance of plastic surgery involvement within these centers.”

Click here to read “Process Outcomes in Breast Reconstruction and the Impact of a Comprehensive Breast Center.”

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery® is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

About Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

For more than 60 years, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, has been the one consistently excellent reference for every specialist who uses plastic surgery techniques or works in conjunction with a plastic surgeon. The official journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery® brings subscribers up-to-the-minute reports on the latest techniques and follow-up for all areas of plastic and reconstructive surgery, including breast reconstruction, experimental studies, maxillofacial reconstruction, hand and microsurgery, burn repair, and cosmetic surgery, as well as news on medico-legal issues.

About ASPS

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is the world's largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons. Representing more than 7,000 Member Surgeons, the Society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS comprises more than 94 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States. Founded in 1931, the Society represents physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. ASPS advances quality care to plastic surgery patients by encouraging high standards of training, ethics, physician practice and research in plastic surgery. You can learn more and visit the American Society of Plastic Surgeons at http://www.plasticsurgery.org or http://www.facebook.com/PlasticSurgeryASPS  and http://www.twitter.com/ASPS_news .

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