Laparoscopic hernia repairs. The importance of cost as an outcome measurement at the century's end.

At the dawn of this new millennium, surgeons not only must be masters of their craft but also are responsible for identifying and learning new techniques that are being introduced at an ever-increasing rate. Surgeons must overcome the instinctual mistrust of "the new" and, at the same time, avoid over enthusiastic, uncritical adoption of unproven procedures. Today's surgeons must also carefully assess and select the procedures and technologies that they will have time to learn and that will complement their practices and interests. More new things are coming along than any single individual can learn and practice with expertise, which makes general surgery a specialty with relative, as opposed to specifically, defined boundaries. Surgeons also should participate in the process of measuring the outcomes effective and to offer some advantages over open repair, namely less pain and a more rapid recovery period. On the other hand, this surgery has been shown to be difficult to learn and more costly. In a situation such as this, one can delete the procedure from the individual or institutional repertoire or use the modern tools of medical management to attempt to address the "outlier" issues and preserve the good. Laparoscopic hernia repair is a good procedure that can be done in a cost-effective manner if cost-conscious practice guidelines are initiated. It is not yet, however, a technique for all surgeons because of its difficulty to learn and advanced skills needed to perform it well.