The Consumer-Purchaser Disclosure Project today announced a national agreement with leading physician groups and health insurers on principles to guide how health plans measure doctors’ performance and report the information to consumers.
The Patient Charter for Physician Performance Measurement, Reporting and Tiering Programs creates a national set of principles to guide measuring and reporting to consumers about doctors’ performance. According to the Consumer-Purchaser Disclosure Project, the accord is an important step toward patient-centered health reform that gives patients reliable information that will lead to better care and help them make informed choices. Where embraced, the Patient Charter will ensure both consumers and physicians will be able to understand, trust and contribute to how health plans rate doctors’ performance.
Consumer, employer and labor groups endorsing the charter include AARP, AFL-CIO, the Leapfrog Group, the National Business Coalition on Health, the National Partnership for Women and Families and Pacific Business Group on Health. Physician groups that support the accord include: the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Medical Association, the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Surgeons. Supporting insurers include the America’s Health Insurance Plans, Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare and WellPoint. The agreement was spearheaded by the Consumer-Purchaser Disclosure Project, a group of leading consumer, labor and employer organizations that works to ensure that all Americans have access to publicly reported healthcare performance information.
The Consumer-Purchaser Disclosure Project is an initiative that is improving healthcare quality and affordability by advancing public reporting of provider performance information so it can be used for improvement, consumer choice, and as part of payment reform. The Project is a collaboration of leading national and local mployer, consumer, and labor organizations whose shared vision is for Americans to be able to select hospitals, physicians, and reatments based on nationally standardized measures for clinical quality, consumer experience, equity, and efficiency. The project is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation along with support from participating organizations.
