Problem Definition: We address two key questions faced by patients, physicians and policy makers: (1) how do different types of patients benefit differently from elite surgeons, and (2) how can outcome data be used to achieve better health care at both the individual and social levels?...

US policymakers place a high priority on tying Medicare payments to the value of care delivered. A critical part of this effort is the Hospital Value-based Purchasing Program (HVBP), which rewards or penalizes hospitals based on their quality and episode-based costs of care. Within HVBP, each...