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How do people research doctors anyway? I do it by: Education, Hospital, word of mouth and online articles (such as ProPublica's Surgeon Scorecard). ProPublica is terrific. Provides thorough details on why and how they rate surgeons. The Scorecard is only for MEDICARE PATIENTS FOR about 6 COMMON SURGERIES (KNEE REPLACEMENT, GALLBLADDER, HIP, SPINE etc.). They use Medicare data based on sample size of 17,000 surgeries. This was excellent for my research on TKR. But the data is only for 2009-2013. I do wish they would perform their studies again.
Also when it is said Gallbladder surgery can be affected by prior abdominal surgeries - does that include vaginal child birth (probably not), Hysterectomy/Oopherectomy?, Abdominoplasty? I am interested in scar tissue or adhesions from these former procedures.
And when surgery reports say "No Complications" - what does that include? During gallbladder, if a small intestine is nicked or touched - is that a complication if nothing serious results? I guess we don't discuss ophthalmology in this forum but .... Following Cataract surgery on one eye, if pupil in new eye is a bit larger than the other eye, is that a complication? If the eye lid now has a very slight droop, is that a complication? If there is a tiny indentation (not quite a scar) by the brow where I assume a tool was used, is that one? Surgeons says no. I say yes. What does one do? Call in the FBI? or live with it if it is nominal (which means perfection seems not to be a goal)?
There are no simple answers, are there?
Replies to "How do people research doctors anyway? I do it by: Education, Hospital, word of mouth and..."
You are correct... there are NO simple answers usually... but second opinions should be a must for almost any surgery, except emergency,..... I live in a University Town in Iowa.. but my background as a professor has taught me that a review of literature (Read a lot from credible sources) and Opinions are part of that review is necessary to find even the way to attack a problem. Science is ever-changing but I believe in Science that has been Peer Reviewed. When I go to my local clinic... which is very large... maybe 75 physicians ... I get my second opinion from the Mayo Clinic.. but places like the Cleveland Clinic... or Boston General... or John Hopkins...or M.D. Anderson in Houston.... are certainly credible ... I like Mayo (Rochester) because they have a whole different approach to "time spent with the patient".... Mayo generally pays their physicians in a manner that is not so competitive, it was explained to me...but Mayo has its own Medical School etc... Even when your local doctor suspects something... get a referral to Mayo... that works best initially... Mayo even has an Emergency Room... Good Luck...
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@tennisgolf Thanks for the info on ProPublica, I had not heard of that before. I generally check healthgrades and vitals but only find them credible if there are numerous reviews. Locally there is a yearly edition of a magazine that names doctors that many people have voted best. These days I rarely use local doctors though but I also ask friends and family about doctors in Boston.
You ask some intriguing questions to which I have no answers.
JK