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Group names top CA medical groups

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WellPoint
medical groups
health plans
Kaiser Permanente
pay-for-performance
performance program
Blue Cross of California
PacifiCare

The Integrated Healthcare Association, a California-based group including health plans, medical groups and health systems, has released a list of the top-performing medical groups among the 228 medical practices participating in its pay-for-performance program. The IHA named 46 groups, or 20 percent, as meeting top standards for quality, patient satisfaction and appropriate use of information technology. The ratings come from an analysis of 2005 measurement year, and included data from about 40,000 physicians and 12 million patients. For the first time, Kaiser Permanente groups participated in reporting results, though Kaiser physicians didn't get financial bonuses.

IHA's P4P program is supported by seven health plans, including Aetna Healthcare of California, Blue Cross of California, Blue Shield of California, CIGNA HealthCare of California, Health Net of California, PacifiCare of California and Western Health advantage. The plans said that physicians in the program improved care quality on several criteria in 2005, testing 12,000 more patients for diabetes, 60,000 more women for cervical cancer and administering 30,000 more immunizations to children.

For more background on IHA's ratings:
- read this article in the Sacramento Business Journal

Related Article:
In an exclusive Q&A, Blue Cross of California's Dr. Michael Belman discusses how his firm makes their P4P program work. The WellPoint division has paid out $66 million in P4P incentives to date. Interview

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I am a disabled Medicare HMO Advantage Plan patient. I like my PCP, but have started having major problems with one of his staff members. She is rude and abrupt with me, when I have always done my best to be polite with any staff members at any medical group or hospital I have to deal with, as I need their help to often contact my doctors due to my medical conditions. I finally filed a complaint with the Medical Group, and now she is more rude than ever, and my request for prescriptions are not being refilled in a timely manner.

Does anyone have any ideas how to stop a staff member who is probably a CNA or Medical Assistant. I have a healthcare background before my career to become an RN came to a halt due to my severe chronic pain syndromes, and had I acted like she does, I would have been written up and fired. I told my doctor about it, that I had finally filed a complaint about her, but he seemed to care less. I called his office as I had been hospitalized due to my yearly Staph/MRSA infections in my right hand, and had then put on over four more weeks on Home Health IV treatment and I began to become sick from the medication. I called his office on a Monday, got a taped message from her and never received a call back from him, and I find this kind of care intolerable and unacceptable. I am considering writing a written report on her. She threatened me during my IV HH Care because I was too sick to come in and didn't have a driver. I am going to inform my doctor when I see him in two days about the threat as well. I refuse to drive when I am too ill to and don't have a driver to take me.

It seems to be a growing trend in some medical groups as I have heard complaints from other patients. Are these Assistants been given too much power because the doctor is so overworked by having to see patients every ten minutes. Any guidance would certainly be appreciated.
Unhappy Patient

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