Physician Performance

Measuring physician performance is not an easy task. There are guidelines, systems, processes to measure but none of it is cut and dry or easy to get and assimilate. There is dissension in the ranks... Most physicians don't want to be measured, or they think they are fine with it until one day, something scary pops up on their "Report Card". Then they believe the data is flawed, risk adjustment is inadequate, blah, blah... The truth is that it not a true or false quiz. We look at trends to identify opportunities. There is no perfect reporting system and no-one likes their information out there for the world to see. But it is reality, so we'll continue to do the best that we can.

The key, I believe, is to align physician and hospital performance measures so that goals are aligned. Hospitals work on system processes to support physician practice. It is the key to success for both hospitals and physician survival in this age of quality. Keep measurement as simple as possible and make sure adequate information exists. In this symbiotic relationship of physician and hospital, it is in all of our best interests to perform well, beyond expectations, strive for perfection.