title: Internet report cards on quality: what exists and the evidence on impact.
abstract: Report cards based on publicly disclosed data abound. Consumers can use the internet to review grades on physicians, hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, and insurance plans. The reports differ in their combinations of mortality data, process measures, access scores, and satisfaction surveys. The internet sites also differ by access charge, data sources, and presentation of information. Public disclosure of quality data has had little impact on the behavior of consumers, larger purchasers of health care, and physicians. However, health care provider organizations have responded to the public reports of quality. Analysis of the impact of public report cards is lagging as web-available reports rapidly grow and pay for performance programs emerge.
authors.affiliation: West Virginia University, Department of Family Medicine Morgantown, USA.
authors.forename: Robert Thomas
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Carlisle
mesh_terms: D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007591:Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States