Medicare to allow using its data to rate doctors, hospitals

[bemildred]

Source: LAT/AP

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The government announced Monday that Medicare will allow its extensive claims database to be used by employers, insurance companies and consumer groups to produce report cards on doctors and hospitals.

By analyzing masses of billing records, experts can glean such information as how often a doctor has performed a particular procedure and get a general sense of problems such as preventable complications.

Doctors will be individually identifiable through the Medicare files, but personal data on their patients will remain confidential. Compiled in an easily understood format and released to the public, medical report cards could become a powerful tool for promoting quality care.

"There is tremendous variation in how well doctors do, and most of us as patients don't know that. We make our choices blind," said David Lansky, president of the Pacific Business Group on Health. "This is the beginning of a process to give us the information to make informed decisions." His nonprofit represents 50 large employers that provide coverage for more than 3 million people.



Read more: http://www.latimes.com/health/la-fi-medicare-report-cards-20111205,0,4661181.story

[blueclown]

1. Will insurance companies release their extensive claims databases?

[Mojorabbit]

2. Will this keep docs from seeing difficult to treat patients

with multiple problems? Not going to have as great a success rate as one who sees relatively healthy patients with few issues.