Transparency getting big boost in Boston metro

A few developments are emerging in Boston that suggest that it may become one of the leading regions in the U.S. for disclosure of price and provider ranking information.

On one hand, a growing number of health plans are beginning to rate individual physicians or making plans to do so. The latest are Tufts Health Plan, the state's third-largest health insurer, which is expanding its "Navigator" doctor rankings plan. Meanwhile, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care is considering offering health plans with doctors rankings to consumers not covered through the commission negotiating municipal and state employee coverage. These moves already excited a fight over the Group Insurance Commission's rankings, which are opposed by the Massachusetts Medical Society as being unduly influenced by physician fees.

Meanwhile, by late summer, the Massachusetts Health Care Quality and Cost Council will soon launch a website listing insurance payments for as many as 40 procedures, including about 20 inpatient and 20 outpatient procedures.

To learn more about the dispute:
- read this article in The Boston Globe
- read this Boston Business Journal piece