Variation between surgeons in reoperation rates following vertical strabismus surgery: Associations with patient and surgeon characteristics and adjustable sutures

Fee-for-service payments to providers in a national database for Medicare beneficiaries having vertical strabismus surgery between 2012 and 2020 were retrospectively analyzed to identify reoperations in the same calendar year .

Among 73 surgeons, the reoperation rate for 1 -vertical muscle surgery varied from 0.0% to 40.7% .

Use of adjustable sutures, surgeon gender, and surgical volume were not independently associated with surgeon reoperation rates.

We evaluated rates of reimbursed reoperations in patients having one vertical muscle surgery (CPT 67314) We also recorded whether practices coded for adjustable suture placement and surgery with scarring of extraocular muscles.

Reoperation rate for each surgeon was determined from the numbers of beneficiaries and beneficiary service days.

Prevalence of qualification for Medicaid at or above the median value ( 15.07% ) was associated with a lower reoperation rate.

Reoperation rate was not lower for higher volume surgeons, or for those who were more senior in their career.

High-reoperation practices can introduce spurious results when practice variation is not considered.

Older patient age was associated with a higher reoperation rate in previous studies, though this was not observed in the present study of vertical strabismus.