Calif. releases cardiac bypass death numbers

California released comprehensive data on cardiac bypass death rates at hospitals in the state. The report is from 2003, the last year that data is available. The best performers were St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles, St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard and UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. Interestingly, the four worst performing hospitals were all once owned by Tenet healthcare, which has since sold three of the facilities in question. The state plans to release a similar report card rating individual heart surgeons by death rate later this year, a proposal that has drawn protests from doctors. Critics argue making the information public could backfire, as some surgeons may opt to avoid riskier cases to protect their reputations.

- see this article from the Los Angeles Times

PLUS: The worst performer in the study was Tenet's Alvarado Medical Center in San Diego. Critics say the results are indicative of deeper problems. Article

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