"Innovative surgery at risk" from FOI (Freedom of Information) data access:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The UK's Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons is warning that "inappropriate" access to data on heart surgery outcomes could "discourage surgeons from undertaking innovative surgery" and have a "devastating effect" on the quality of care. So said Sir Bruce Keogh, the society's president-elect, in light of the greater access to raw data on surgery outcomes - notably the mortality rates linked to individual surgeons - as afforded by the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, which came into effect in January, reports The Daily Telegraph. Sir Bruce is heading the society's input into government plans to develop national performance tables.