In order to fix the discrepancy, Makary thinks that the hospitals should do a better job at creating a division of labor. He explained that patients who need an open operation should go to surgeons that focus on those operations and patients who would benefit from minimally invasive operations should go to surgeons with those skills.

Makary also noted that many patients are not even aware that minimally invasive surgery is an option. However, some patients are proactive and they search their condition on the Internet and find there are minimally invasive surgery options.


"Those patients oftentimes will benefit from their own proactive approach by being knowledgeable about what they're supposed to have done and learning what the options are," he said.

Makary thinks that physicians have an obligation to tell patients about all of their options.

"There are tremendous benefits to greater awareness and patient empowerment and I'm a huge advocate for greater transparency in health care," he said.

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