Massachusetts on Dec. 18 will begin to publish patient mortality rates for individual heart surgeons, the Boston Globe reports. The state already publishes information on hospitals and physician groups as part of a 2000 state law, but data on individual physicians was not published because health officials believed hospitals and state agencies would use physician data internally to improve the quality of care. However, state officials changed their minds amid a "growing push" from employers, insurers, Medicare and Gov. Mitt Romney's (R) administration to "more fully disclose medical care data," according to the Globe. Public reporting advocates believe that full disclosure will hold providers accountable for health care costs, help patients decide where to receive treatment and create market forces to improve care. The data, which will be similar to the hospital and physician group information, will be posted on the Harvard Medical School Massachusetts Data Access Center Web site. Mass-DAC collects and analyzes cardiac patient data for the state, according to Amy Lischko, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Division of Health Care Finance and Policy. Mortality data for 55 heart surgeons who perform cardiac bypass operations will be calculated for 2002, 2003 and 2004 to make the results statistically meaningful, according to officials. Paul Dreyer, director of the state public health department's Division of Health Care Quality, said the department is working with Mass-DAC to reduce the reporting time lag by at least six months but noted that there always will be a lag because of the time it takes to collect and analyze information. Many Massachusetts heart surgeons initially opposed public disclosure of their mortality rates but now accept the state's decision, according to cardiac surgery chiefs from 14 hospitals in the state that offer cardiac services. Some surgeons in Massachusetts are concerned that the reporting could discourage physicians from treating high-risk patients. State officials said that they do not think the program will cause surgeons to avoid high-risk cases because the data are adjusted to reflect each surgeon's mix of patients and severity of cases (Kowalczyk, Boston Globe, 12/6).

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