Insight on doctors

Re “Ruling may give patients key to records on their doctors,” Aug. 30

There are, unfortunately, surgeons who operate too much, for questionable indications, often out of greed. There are others who prudently exhaust all medical means of making a patient well before using surgery as a last resort. With the new disclosure proposals, the former may be rewarded and the latter ignored. And even if outcomes could be reasonably addressed, those patients who may not have needed the surgery would get better (apparent) results. Caveat emptor.

James Montagano MD

Los Angeles