The Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute flunked 40 states and Washington, D.C., and gave four states a "D" in providing objective, publically accessible information on physician quality, based on a recent study.
Transparent information is available for only 16 percent of clinicians on average, according to the report. There is no data available in some states.
To determine the grades, the institute reviewed the range of existing quality information on physicians in each state, the amount of that information publicly available and the timeliness of the available information. Information was collected from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's online directory for comparing healthcare quality.
The six states with grades of "C" or higher provide a variety of information on physician practices, including patient satisfaction, on public websites. Minnesota, which received an "A," publishes information on a HealthScores site. Information on physicians provided by insurers was not counted in the study because many consumers distrust insurer ratings, according to the report.
The report shows some improvement from last year, but only two states received top marks again this year. HCI3 provided the following grades:
A: Minnesota and Washington
B: Maine and California
C: Massachusetts and Wisconsin
D: Mississippi, New Mexico, Ohio and Oregon
F: Remaining states and Washington D.C.
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