National Business Coalition on Health Endorses Patient Charter for Physician Performance M...( Patient Charter requirements will...),Health

Patient Charter requirements will be integrated into NBCH's common RFI, eValue8(TM)

WASHINGTON, April 1, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH), a non-profit, membership association of 60 business and health coalitions, representing a national network of 7,000 employers and 34 million covered lives, announced its support of the Patient Charter for Physician Performance Measurement, Reporting, and Tiering Programs. The Patient Charter has been developed by a group of leading employer, consumer, and labor organizations including NBCH, working toward a common goal to ensure that all Americans have access to publicly reported health care performance information.

The Patient Charter establishes specific criteria for health plans developing physician performance measurement programs to ensure the integrity, validity, and fairness of these important initiatives. The Patient Charter then calls on any health plan that is developing programs to evaluate and rate physicians - programs that NBCH and its member coalitions have asked for - to undergo a comprehensive independent review.

"Public reporting of physician performance is central to health care system improvement and empowering consumers with the information they need to make informed decisions about their physicians and the care they receive," said Andrew Webber, president and CEO of NBCH. "Independent review is necessary to help build public trust and confidence in the physician measurement, incentives, and reporting initiatives that health plans are generating throughout the nation. We encourage employers, as purchasers of health care, to ensure that their contracted health plans comply with the provisions of the Patient Charter."

NBCH also announced today its commitment to promote the Patient Charter by integrating Charter requirements into eValue8, the common Request for Information (RFI). eValue8 was created by NBCH for member coalitions and
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