A doctor weighs in on the importance of data

Choosing a doctor can be very complicated. Doctors are multi-dimensional people who can't be reduced to a single number. Even if you know what you're looking for, the data may be scant. I just came across Dr. Robert Pearl's article, in which he highlights the shortcomings of different approaches (e.g. we're looking for more than just basic qualifications, and that the plural of anecdote is not data). Dr. Pearl settles on the importance of data, citing New York state's publishing of cardiac surgery results as an example.

We agree that this data can help patients make better decisions. For example, we've spent a fair amount of time integrating data from Medicare, and we look forward to integrating additional data sets (including New York State's cardiac results). A big part of the challenge is how to incorporate the data in a meaningful way so that consumers aren't overwhelmed by a series of numbers. We're still working on that. If you have any ideas, it would be great to hear from you. The bigger problem, however, is the paucity of large data sets that help consumers make these decisions. It does feel like the tide is turning (and more government agencies are releasing this data), but like so many other things in health care, the change feels very slow. If you know anyone who is in the position to help accelerate this trend of increasing transparency, please encourage the person to do so.