A large California health purchasing group is joining hands with some of the state's large health plans and Medicare to produce report cards [1] on individual physician performance. The effort, which is led by the Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH), will draw data from Medicare, Blue Cross Blue Shield of California and PacifiCare/UnitedHealth to create the report cards. The effort is part of a six-site pilot tracking physician performance across the U.S. The report cards will be presented to doctors by mid-year, to give them a chance to get up to speed. Eventually, the PBGH plans to release the report card data to the public. Once released, the report cards could have a meaningful impact on health decisions in the state, given that the PBGH represents employers who spend $10 billion per year on healthcare.

To learn more about the planned report card:
- read this Sacramento Business Journal article [2]

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Bill establishes physician quality reporting system. Report [5]