title: Helping patients become more educated about provider quality.
abstract: Many people won't buy a computer without first reading the product reviews on or decide on a new car until they've consulted Consumer Reports. For most big-ticket purchases, comparison shopping is routine. But when it comes to making health-care decisions, consumers often don't know where to turn to find objective information about physicians and hospitals.
authors.affiliation: WebMD Quality Services.
authors.forename: Rick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Siegrist
mesh_terms: D019090:Case Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002755:Choice Behavior; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007255:Information Services; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010358:Patient Participation; D024382:Professional Role; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards