Independent sector surgery equal to NHS

This should reduce fears that private healthcare providers are 'cherry picking' the best patients and supports the idea of separating elective and emergency surgery to improve care quality, the authors said. The study, published on bmj.com, examined the differences in outcomes between elective surgery undertaken in independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs) and NHS providers in England. It found that patients undergoing surgery in independent treatment centres had slightly better outcomes than patients treated by NHS centres. However, the researchers stressed that such difference...