New study by The Commonwealth Fund looks at how physician, physican groups and hospital report cards can have greater impact on consumer choices

Publicly available “report cards” on the quality and cost of physicians and hospitals have proliferated in recent years. While consumers say they value this information, it can be difficult to understand and use and to date has had minimal influence on consumers’ choices. Difficulties in measuring performance at the individual physician level, as well as recent changes in health care delivery, have made the collection and dissemination of consumer-relevant quality information challenging. In this Commonwealth Fund–supported study, researchers interviewed experts and surveyed stakeholders involved in the public reporting of health care quality data to gain their perspectives and insight.

Read more: How Report Cards on Physicians, Physician Groups, and Hospitals Can Have Greater Impact on Consumer Choices