Physician report cards more prevalent among MCOs, but do they work?

At least one payer is releasing public report cards on physicians, and others are expected to follow. Experts say it is unlikely payers will go through the expense of creating these report cards for hospitals. However, they do believe payers will increasingly ask hospitals to release their own clinical and patient satisfaction data as part of the managed care contracts. They say this is a two-part trend: First, payers are being forced by competition to find new ways to market their plans to employers and the public. Second, there is a national push to hold physicians and other providers more accountable to the public.