A new risk calculator helps surgeons predict protracted recovery and long-term loss of independence in veterans post-surgery.

• Care assessment needs score for 90-day hospitalization and pre-op functional status are the strongest predictors.
• The model shows high accuracy (c-statistics 0.906-0.908) with 83% sensitivity and 82% specificity.

Surgeons can use this tool to identify high-risk patients for tailored interventions and improve postoperative care.