A Database of Info. To Help Consumers Select Physicians

This project will develop a database of information on physicians designed to help consumersselect physicians, a decision consumers face increasingly often as they join or switch among managedcare plans with restricted physician panels. Intended as an independent, consumer-supported resourcecovering all physicians in the community, the database will include data on physician quality, as well asother items important to consumers such as health plan participation, special clinical interests, languagesspoken, etc. Notably, the study will explore use of ratings of individual physicians' technical andinterpersonal skills based on confidential assessments by physician peers, an approach which recentresearch has shown can be feasible and reliable, and which is expected to show high appeal toconsumers. In Phase I, the database content will be specified based on study of the consumer appeal,feasibility, validity, and reliability of various data items. Data collection instruments and a databaseassembly plan will be developed. In Phase II, the database specified in Phase I will be assembled for asingle metropolitan area. and software to support its use will be written. In Phase III, access to databaseinformation will be marketed through a variety of formats and distribution channels.