Quality Reports - Ear, Nose and Throat

Surgical Volume - Airway, Digestive and Voice

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Why we measure it - Research shows that physicians and hospitals that treat a large number of patients tend to provide better care and have improved outcomes for treatments and procedures.

What this means - Airway problems requiring surgery are rare, and very few pediatric programs exist throughout the country. Referral volume varies from year to year. Children with complex aerodigestive abnormalities, which impact breathing, swallowing and feeding, require integrated support from multiple specialists.

About the data - This data reflects the number of visits captured in our registration system in years 2006-2009.

Related dimensions of care:

• We coordinate the full range of services children with complex aerodigestive problems need for proper diagnosis and treatment in the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Aerodigestive Clinic. Team members from all involved specialties develop a treatment plan together and talk regularly about the child's progress, including updating the child's primary care physician. 
• Appointments are coordinated so families can see multiple specialists in one visit.
• We offer a Tracheal Surgery Program to care for children with mild to complex tracheal stenosis and other tracheal problems.
• We perform many outpatient procedures at our Surgicenter location near the Milwaukee hospital, approximately 10 minutes from Children's Hospital. Here, patients may be scheduled sooner and enjoy the convenience of a smaller facility, while being cared for by the same pediatric ENT surgeons and pediatric anesthesiologists they would see at the hospital.
• We added inpatient beds with the hospital expansion and increased our recovery, consultation and waiting rooms at our Surgicenter location.
• We have hired three fellowship-trained pediatric ENT surgeons in the last three years.
• We have pediatric-trained anesthesiologists and an excellent Pediatric Intensive Care Unit staffed by pediatric experts. This helps us achieve better outcomes than our peers.
• We have a team including nurses and advanced practice nurses to help coordinate inpatient care and smooth the transition to outpatient care.
• We are using a LEAN process improvement initiative in the surgery area to optimize our patients' satisfaction. LEAN is an internationally recognized tool to enhance efficiencies and allow health care providers to focus on quality interactions with their patients.