Doctors may have an ethical obligation to do so.

An article cited by the NY Times says that especially in the cases of cancer treatment, “doctors have an ethical obligation to tell patients if they are more likely to survive, be cured, live longer or avoid complications by going to Hospital A instead of Hospital B. And that obligation holds even if the doctor happens to work at Hospital B, and revealing the truth might mean patients will take their business someplace else.”

Studies show that outcomes correlate with the experience a particular surgeon or hospital has in treating a specific disease. It goes beyond a single doctor, and also includes post-op care, like “nursing, intensive care, respiratory therapy and rehabilitation.”

However, does disclosing information about other physicians and hospitals create a conflict of interest? And is judging by volume alone always accurate, since there are cases where some hospitals do many procedures poorly, and others that do a few cases well?

Despite these reservations, patients shouldn’t be afraid to ask their doctors whether better care is available elsewhere.