Though you’ll be hard pressed to find a physician’s group who approves,
there is a concerted nationwide effort going on to generate consistent
doctor ratings for insurance customers across the country. These
rankings will be used by the insurance companies to place their network
of physicians in a tier based system. Please read!
Though you’ll be hard pressed to find a physician’s group who approves,
there is a concerted nationwide effort going on to generate consistent
doctor ratings for insurance customers across the country. These
rankings will be used by the insurance companies to place their network
of physicians in a tier based system. The higher physicians are on the
tier, the more likely it is that the insurance companies will give
customers an out-of-pocket discount when they go to those offices. The
lower ones may be much more expensive or dropped from the program
altogether.
As part of the new initiatives, insurance companies have conceded to
having their ranking systems independently vetted, one small victory of
physician’s groups who have been almost wholly opposed to the new
systems. Much of the rest of the considerations have come in the form of
greater transparency of the doctor ratings system, how they arrive at
their rankings, and what measures they are taking to ensure those
rankings are accurate. There is also a movement to include in the system
an opportunity for physicians to be able to appeal their ranking.
Behind the effort are some of the biggest names in health insurance,
including Cigna, General Motors, Aetna, and United Healthcare. Those
representing the physicians include the American College of Surgeons and
more. The movement toward using doctor ratings to help inform consumers
and bring down health care costs has been in the works for some time,
but this is a new step when it comes to cooperation between both sides
of the fence. As one would expect, they are coming at it from different
points of view. The insurance companies think the ranking system will
help lower costs and improve results. The physicians think the rankings
are screwed up due to faulty measurement systems and a lack of
oversight.
Health care experts say the trick is to find the right balance between
judging bottom line results such as total costs with more delicate
measurements such as the quality of the care being given. The systems
being used today don’t give out a lot of information when it comes to
how the ranking was arrived at, leaving both physicians and customers in
the dark. This lack of information has led to lawsuits and a deep rift
between the insurance companies and the physicians. These new efforts
are driven by the need to bridge that gap. Hopefully, the end result
will be a system that is fair to both the physicians and the patients.
If you are interested in finding a doctor, ratings are available for the
potential candidates in your area for the best fit. For more
information visit http://www.doctorreviewsonline.com
