From WSJ, Grading Surgeons May Be Healthy Practice (available for non WSJ subscribers for 7 days) provides another article on report cards for physicians.

Apparently, there are 3 schools of thought on the subject.  One camp says that report cards will have an impact on health care a second camp says that it will not due to the fact that ordinary patients won’t read them and the third camp says that it will have some benefit but will have unintended consequences including gaming the system (this is the camp that I subscribe and is supported by the Stanford economist Daniel Kessler).

The first camp has the strong support of Harvard School of Public Health Physicians who report research on the impact of report cards on cardiac-bypass surgeons and the fact that many depart the profession in the wake of a bad report card (20% in New York).  The second camp has some impressive evidence to support its position as well.

One impressive finding was in the sharing of data privately by physicians in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont where quality improved and best practices were shared without the paranoia of public information.

Which camp are you in?

Larry