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Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Rating Doctors And Hospitals
Health and Human Services will let its vast store of Medicare data be used to rate doctors and hospitals. For the first time, the claims database will be available to employers, insurance companies and consumer groups, according to the Associated Press. They'll be able to create report cards on health care providers. Although individual doctors will be identifiable, patient data will stay anonymous. Doctors have objected to release of the data, worrying it could be misused. They'll have the right to review data before it is released publicly. Available data covers both primary care physicians and specialists.
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I think this is great news! If consumers are better informed that can only be a good thing. We have very little access to fair and balanced information on the medical field because the doctors and hospitals “own” the main stream media. Try writing something critical of PRMC in The Daily Times! While having rating information would typically lead to more market choice around here it will not help us too much because we suffer from a strangle-hold of single-source suppliers and have little health care choice locally. PRMC is the only hospital with significant resources and is actively absorbing specialists and clinics to maintain its monopoly position. And TLC has become the only OB practice now that Dr. Pernal lost her call coverage. PRMC, TLC and a few large independent specialty practices operate essentially without competition. Good for them, very bad for us. Unfortunately high ratings or low we still have only one service provider to choose from.
It is also not surprising that doctors (and probably hospitals too) would object to disclosure of the HHS ratings because there are many things that go on that they do don’t want people to know about. It seems that our local doctors operate in a system of full monopoly of the market and full suppression of anything negative. For the record HHS already publishes a database of hospital ratings. It is called the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS). This is a national survey that asks patients about their experiences after a hospital stay.
http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/
You should check out the satisfaction survey of our local hospitals. It makes for interesting reading.
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