Another NY health insurer agrees to doctor-ranking rules

Yet another health plan has agreed to adopt New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's model for ranking physicians. Independent Health, which has 360,000 members in the state, signed an agreement to follow the model this week, even though it doesn't currently have a ranking scheme in place. That's probably a smart move, given that state legislators are considering a bill which would make the rankings mandatory.

Among other things, the AG's model requires insurers to share all details on how they rank doctors with both consumers and the physicians themselves, notably the extent to which doctors' prices affect the ratings. It also requires them to use statistically-valid methods, risk-adjust populations, and hire an external monitor to make sure their methods and practices are sound. A score of health plans, including Aetna and Cigna, have already agreed to adhere to the standards, which were developed by the AG in cooperation with the American Medical Association.

To find out more about the agreement:
- read this Business First of Buffalo piece

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