Dive Brief:
- A new report has concluded that most states do a lousy job offering consumers easily accessible information about physician quality, giving most states 'D' or 'F' grades.
- While Washington state and Minnesota both got an A grade from the Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute, California was rated 'C' and the rest of the states got ''D's or 'F's, in part because many compile data only about primary care doctors.
- States were rated on whether physician information was current, free to consumers, produced by independent third parties and included specialists.
Dive Insigiht:
While the poor grades most states received were not terribly surprising -- try looking for physician quality information right now and see how little you get -- they do point to a serious problem. Consumers will have a great deal of trouble navigating a new healthcare system which may require doctor-switching unless, free, reliable, comprehensive quality information is made available. It's time for states to step up and bring doctor reporting to the next level.