Aetna Strikes Deal To Rank Doctors Nationwide, Follows Suit With CIGNA

Aetna Strikes Deal To Rank Doctors Nationwide, Follows Suit With CIGNA in Individual Health Insurance

Some of the largest health insurance companies — such as Aetna, CIGNA, and UnitedHealth — have pushed for doctor rating systems to show policyholders which physicians provide the best care.

But Andrew Cuomo, New York’s Attorney General, warned the companies that their current rating systems can be confusing to consumers. Cuomo argued that insurers could direct patients to cheaper doctors, but not necessarily the best doctors.

In full cooperation, Aetna went into negotiations with the New York Attorney General and came out with an agreement: They will show their consumers information on how much a doctor’s rating depends on both cost and quality, reported Buffalo Business First.

“We are committed to providing our members with a physician performance evaluation program that is easy to understand and takes into account the input of participating physicians,” said Aetna chief medical officer, Dr. Troyen A. Brennan, reported the Hartford Courant.

Aetna is following suit with CIGNA, who struck essentially the same deal with Cuomo at the end of October. In CIGNA’s system, all criteria for the doctors’ ratings will be fully available to the public, all rankings will show quality versus cost, and doctors can appeal ratings, wrote the Wall Street Journal Health Blog.

Patients should always be fully aware of which physicians are providing the highest quality of care and at what cost — and it looks like the health insurance industry agrees.

Comments[0]