BCBS of Texas launches physician rating site

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas rolled out its physicians rating Web site on April 30 at www.bcbstx.com. The move is part of an industry push to be more transparent — to share quality and cost information with consumers so that they can make educated health care decisions. Users of the Website, regardless of whether they are a Blue Cross member, can log on to this site, and view how a particular physician (if that physician participates in the insurer’s network) compares to their peers in affordability and quality. Quality is shown by physicians receiving either a light blue or dark blue ribbon, depending on their scores, and affordability is measured by a sliding scale. There are 38 measures in the quality score, but this is expected to increase to 50 measures by early next year.