AMA Commends N.Y. Legislative Goal To Ensure The Integrity Of Physician Profiling Initiative

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 27 Nov 2007 - 3:00 PDT

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"The AMA is committed to improving the quality of health care, and initiatives that measure and compare physician performance represent potential quality improvement tools when properly implemented.

"Efforts among health insurers to profile physicians must be aligned on the primary goal of promoting quality patient care. This goal can be potentially corrupted when physician measurement is skewed by the financial interest of a health insurer. Physician comparisons driven by a corporate profit agenda provide patients with misleading information and disrupt care by causing confusion and apprehension, as has occurred elsewhere in the country.

"Patients should always be able to trust that the information they receive on physicians is valid and reliable. The integrity of this information can be protected by the independent oversight and regulations envisioned by Attorney General Cuomo. The unprecedented agreements he has secured with many of the nation's largest health insurers offer crucial protections to patients and physicians, and the AMA is proud to have contributed to the creation of these safeguards.

"Given the potential risks to patients, the AMA believes state lawmakers and regulators have an important public responsibility to establish proper oversight of health insurers to guarantee physicians are profiled fairly and accurately.

"The AMA commends Speaker Silver, Senators Hannon and Seward, and Assemblymen Gottfried and Morelle for their attention to the public's welfare and their commitment to codifying the safeguards necessary to ensure the integrity of physician profiling initiatives."

American Medical Association

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