Star Tribune: Minnesota's Elective Surgery Rates All Over Map Minnesota has sharp variations in elective surgery rates from one place to another, according to a new report, with heart patients in Detroit Lakes twice as likely as others in the state to have arterial bypasses and men in Bemidji three times as likely to have enlarged prostates removed. The study, released Thursday by the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care, suggests that doctors may be neglecting patients' preferences and basing surgery decisions on other factors. Rates in small communities, for example, can swing based on the aggressiveness of one doctor. Some have more faith in surgery, while others might be motivated by profits from the procedures (Olson, 2/23).

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