Selecting a surgeon is one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make when you need an operation. SurgeonRatings uses government data from millions of cases over the last four years to find doctors whose surgeries resulted in fewer deaths or complications.
The difference between the best-performing and the worst-performing surgeons, Consumers’ Checkbook (the non-profit organization behind the site) says, is huge:
For heart valve and bypass surgery, the patients of the best-performing one-tenth of surgeons had death rates of less than 3 percent in-hospital or within 90 days of discharge, compared to death rates of more than 11 percent for patients of the worst-performing one-tenth of surgeons.
Similarly, for major small and large bowel surgery, death rates ranged from less than 6 percent for the best-performing one-tenth of surgeons to more than 20 percent for the worst-performing one-tenth.
And for total hip and knee replacement, where deaths are rare, the best-performing one-tenth of surgeons had overall bad-outcome rates (deaths, complications, and readmissions) of less than 8 percent, while the worst-performing one-tenth had overall bad-outcome rates of more than 21 percent.
On the site, you’ll be able to find surgeon ratings for 14 types of major surgery, including hip and knee replacement. Unlike previously mentioned Surgeon Scorecard, the results are adjusted to take into account some surgeons treating more difficult cases (based on the patients’ age and/or medical conditions).
After entering your Zip Code and selecting the type of surgery, the list will show you: whether the surgeon has been recommended by other doctors in a survey, the doctor’s board certifications, and their hospital affiliation (including whether the hospital is highly-rated for that type of surgery’s outcomes). In the Better Outcomes column, 4 or 5 stars means the researchers are confident or very confident that the surgeon is above average for better outcomes. 3 stars means they’re not as confident.
This alone won’t help you choose the best surgeon for you, but it’s a good start.