A new online database is available that will show you the surgeons' patients readmission rate in hospitals due to complications. Non-profit news group ProPublica has come up with surgeon scorecard showing adjusted complication rates for a number of US surgeons.

The group has developed the data using five years of Medicare records for eight lower risk elective surgical procedures. Using the data, a complication rate for every surgeon was made. Complications were designed as death or re-admittance to the hospital in a month.

The complication was further adjusted by considering factors like age and overall health of certain patients.

Dr. Marty Makary, professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins University, said, "For the first time ever, we are collecting information on the performance or result of our treatment. We're actually seeing how the patients do after we operate on them".

From the data, surgeons in the state can be find out whose records show whether they are among the highest or lowest performers. The American College of Surgeons has affirmed that surgeon is responsible for patient's care. But there are many who have affirmed that every complication cannot be due to doctor's fault.

Dr. Rocco Orlando, chief medical officer for Hartford HealthCare, said the most important thing to be looked for by patients in this analysis is how often a doctor has performed a specific procedure. Orlando said that the more surgeries performed, the better it is.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has stated that the data used in the study is limited.