Physician Profiling: Can Medicare Paint an Accurate Picture?

Authors

Laura A. Dummit, George Washington University

Document Type

Issue Brief

Publication Date

9-10-2007

Abstract

Physician profiling, that is, the comparison of the health care services used by a physician’s patients to average service use or another benchmark, has been proposed as a way to improve Medicare. It has been used by private health plans and physician groups to identify both efficient practice patterns and the physicians who practice efficiently. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) have recommended that Medicare adopt physician profiling to slow spending growth and improve efficiency. Recent legislation would mandate that Medicare employ profiling. This issue brief reviews MedPAC and GAO’s analyses of profiling, concerns about using this type of information, and the obstacles in incorporating profiling in the Medicare program.

Comments

Issue brief no. 825

Recommended Citation

Dummit, Laura A., "Physician Profiling: Can Medicare Paint an Accurate Picture?" (2007). National Health Policy Forum. Paper 202.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/sphhs_centers_nhpf/202

Open Access

yes