Public Reporting of Individual Surgeon Performance Information

* The United Kingdom is currently introducing public reporting of performance information for individual cardiac surgeons. The reports will indicate whether a surgeon has an acceptable level of performance, measured by in-hospital mortality. * In the United States, surgeon-specific performance data have been available for over a decade. * Arguments from both safety and accountability perspectives provide strong justifications for public reporting of such data. * Were Australia to adopt similar public reporting processes, we should learn from overseas experiences. * Surgical associations should be actively involved in developing data standards and processes for data collection, validation, analysis and publication. * Any Australian policy initiative for public reporting of individual surgeon data should be backed by a political commitment to adequate funding.