A Word of Caution in Public Reporting

Abstract

Public reporting in its current form will lead to confusion amongst physicians, administrators, families, and the media. It is unclear that we are giving the families information they really need. At the current time there is no evidence that public reporting really leads to improved outcomes. Rather, it may lead to risk aversion and limit access to care. This is a problem not just for congenital heart surgery but for the entire field of medicine and the care that we provide to our patients. We must be very careful that we don't create a system where we are afraid to take on a patient with increased risk of mortality because it may affect our overall ranking.