Health plans that rate doctors individually are spreading beyond the state's Group Insurance Commission, despite the Massachusetts Medical Society's opposition to the ranking systems. more»

Aetna Inc. ranked first among more than 130 big health insurers in how quickly and accurately they reimburse doctors, based on factors such as how long carriers take to pay bills, the percentage of claims they resolve after one submission and their claim-denial rates. more»

The nonprofit Consumers Union is launching a new hospital-ratings service, adding to the growing competition to provide online consumer information about health care. more»

Higher levels of spending on medical care don't improve patients' perceptions of the care they receive, according to researchers who conducted a survey of Medicare beneficiaries. more»

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio rolled out detailed price information on medical procedures on its members-only Web site for the Central Ohio market this week, the latest in a line of health-care companies posting quality and cost data online. more»

The quality of care at hospitals that treat poor and underserved patients, often called safety-net hospitals, is lagging well behind hospitals that do not serve these patients, a new study finds. more»

That system keeps fee-for-service, but adds other components based on outcome and the number of health plan members a practice serves. CDPHP would dump fee-for-service and switch to a risk-adjusted model based not only on how many patients a practice services, but their conditions. Some pay would be based on outcome and patient satisfaction. more»

In what appears to be a push to transparency, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wants to add 43 more indicators to the list of quality measures that hospitals are required to report on if they are to receive the full update to their fiscal year 2009 payment rates. Last week I wrote about how CMS’ new list of proposed “never events” will affect hospital reimbursement for 2009, but these 43 new quality measures promise to have an equally big effect. more»

A new Web resource that allows users to learn, share, and adopt innovations in the delivery of health services was launched last week by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The resource--called the Health Care Innovations Exchange--is available at www.innovations.ahrq.gov. Designed as a tool for health care leaders, physicians, nurses, and other health professionals who seek to reduce health care disparities and improve health care overall, the site is the federal government's repository for successful health care innovations, but it also includes useful descriptions of attempts at innovations that failed. more»

In this presidential election year, issues surrounding healthcare reform and quality of care have taken on new urgency. Expectations are high as patients, payers, and policymakers demand more in terms of improving quality, lowering costs, and ensuring that treatment decisions are based on the latest scientific evidence. more»