Only 2 States Receive An 'A' For Physician Data Transparency

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

A report card geared at assessing the accessibility of quality and transparent physician data has issued failing grades to most states.

The majority of U.S. states - 40 of them to be specific - received a failing grade in the latest report from the Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute. The report card assessed availability of physician information.

According to iHealth Beat, states could earn up to 100 points based on the following:

●percentage of physicians and other healthcare providers with publicly available quality data

●scope of quality measures, including outcome, process and patient experience

●accessibility of such information to the public

Forbes reports 40 states, as well as Washington, D.C., received a failing grade. Four states received a “D” grade, two earned a “C,” and two a “B.” While most states did fail, the report does point out many had improved their scores over last year.

The only two states to earn an “A” grade were Minnesota and Washington - which also were the only states to earn the top grade in last year’s report. In Minnesota, transparency policies allow for doctor practices to be compared on several performance measures as well as the patient’s experience in the doctor’s office. On the Minnesota HealthScores web site the state publishes measures and comparisons of practices on conditions like asthma care and colon cancer screenings are available.

“Consumers are flying blind when it comes to selecting hospitals and physicians, and public and private sector purchasers cannot hope to improve the overall quality and affordability of American health care if they don’t find a way to solve this problem. Some states have and every other state in the Union should follow suit,” says the institute.

“The goal of this report is to not only highlight efforts that are doing well, but also to grab the attention of lawmakers in states lacking this vital information for their residents,” Francois de Brantes, executive director of the Institute said. “If your state isn’t receiving an A or B, it can and should.”