Variation in mortality after high-risk cancer surgery: failure to rescue.

Surgical mortality with oncologic surgery varies widely in the United States. Patients, providers, and payers are paying closer attention to these variations and a way of reducing them. Although different hospital and surgical technologies and processes of care may account for some of this variation, there is an increasing awareness of the role of hospital safety culture. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting the importance of reducing mortality rates after major complications as a means to reducing the disparate mortality rates with oncologic surgery.