Doctors step away from high risk surgeries to avoid bad report cards

Like the road that gets doubly filled with traffic when electronic signage informs them that it is the less trafficked route, likewise doctor and hospital report cards intended to help patients find lower risk facilities for heart surgery has unintended outcomes. An article in the New York Times describes how some of the most talented doctors are avoiding operating on high risk patients in order to keep their report card grades high. It's yet another disturbing trend how "helpful" required governmental information requirements changes behavior for the worse.* http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/22/opinion/giving-doctors-grades.html Paul Krawitz, M.D., President and Founder VisiVite.Com