Surgeon Scorecard Finds Doctors With Low Complication Rates
What are the chances that your upcoming surgery will end up with an unexpected complication? It depends (in part) on the procedure, on the surgeon, and on you. The ProPublica surgeon card helps put the number on the doctor’s puzzle piece.
With this tool, you can find surgeons in your area and see how they are evaluating eight elective surgeries, including knee and hip replacements. ProPublica explains here how they calculated the ratings : The team used Medicare patient data and tried to include only those complications that could reasonably be considered the responsibility of the surgeon.
But does this mean that you should quit your surgeon if he has a high complication rate? First, make sure you are considering the same procedure: the same person may do a good job of repairing ACL, but it is quite normal with a knee replacement (the only knee surgery on the scorecard). Also, as Dr. Jen Gunter explains , some excellent surgeons have a reputation for being able to handle difficult cases, which means they can have a high complication rate, but will still be the best doctor for you.
After all, the surgeon’s scorecard is just another piece of information that may guide, but not guide, your decisions about surgery. It is also important to know how many of these procedures your surgeon has done and whether you are a high-risk patient for your procedure.
Surgeon Evaluation Card | ProPublica
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