When the New York State health department decided to publish the death rates of its heart surgeons the elite world of US cardiac surgery was sent into turmoil. Surgeons had to adapt quickly to new rules which saw the introduction of performance league tables in the form of 'report cards' ranking each surgeon by name, from numbers 1–87. While life was rosy for those at the top of the list, others we re not so fortunate. Surgeons at the bottom found themselves vilified by the media and, if anecdotal re ports are to be believed, a number were forced to practise out of the state or quit surgery altogether.
Cardiac surgeons lead the way in UK outcomes data