Healthcare Compass: Comparing primary care quality in Massachusetts

Massachusetts Health Quality Partners (MHQP) just launched Healthcare Compass, an informative and easy-to-navigate site for patients seeking comparative information on the quality of physician practices in the state. The site presents data on 19 elements of patient experience and clinical quality for adult practices and 14 for pediatric practices. For example, patient experience includes feedback on how well doctors communicate with their patients and willingness to recommend the provider to family and friends. Clinical quality includes measures such as yearly follow-up to monitor patients on long-term medication and appropriate use of imaging for lower back pain. I tested the site out and recommend it for those who are seeking a new primary care doctor or who are curious about how their current practice compares with others. Local practice comparison Here’s what I especially like: The information presented is based on sound methodologies. Sample sizes are significant and where there is insufficient data (pretty rare for the practices I reviewed) no rating is given The ratings are done on a three point scale (full circle, half circle, empty circle) and all three ratings are used, even for some of the top practices It’s possible to compare multiple practices on one page Each rating has a clickable link that provides four tabs: a summary of the measure and how it’s derived, what you can do, what your doctor can do, and helpful resources Every compa...
Source: Health Business Blog - Category: Health Managers Authors: Tags: e-health Patients Physicians Healthcare Compass Massachusetts Health Quality Partners Source Type: blogs