Business
AMA offers physician profiling comparison
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Dec. 21, 2009
A new comparison tool by the American Medical Association Private Sector Advocacy's practice management center lets physicians examine three major health plans' profiling programs side by side.
The chart includes key elements of Aetna's Aexcel program, Cigna's Care Network and UnitedHealthcare's Premium Designation program, as well as concerns the AMA has about each program.
The chart lists the specialties included in each program and includes a description of each program's quality and efficiency measurement processes, how many cases are used to profile physicians, how transparent the rating process is to patients and physicians, whether the data used are risk-adjusted, and what appeal process is available to physicians.
The chart is accessible online (link).
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/12/21/bibf1221.htm.