Evaluation of a Consumer-Oriented Internet Health Care Report Card

Abstract

Increasing interest in the quality of health care has led to the development of "report cards" to grade and compare the quality of care and outcomes of hospitals,¹ physicians,² and managed care plans.³ The organizations that produce these evaluations span the spectrum of popular periodicals, federal and state agencies, nonprofit accreditation organizations, consulting companies, and for-profit health care information companies.⁴ In addition, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (formerly called the Health Care Financing Administration) has recently expressed interest in developing a public performance report for hospitals.⁵