Tufts Health grading doctors

BOSTON – Tufts Health Plan announced that it would be grading doctors participating in its plan, the Boston Globe reported. These ratings are said to be the first by an HMO on the East Coast. HMOs in California and Minnesota have been rating physicians. The ratings are based on member satisfaction with their primary care physician, access to specialty care, waiting time for appointments, the medical group’s rate of examining diabetic patients’ eyes, the rate of breast cancer screenings and the rate of cervical cancer screenings. The Globe quoted Tufts’ medical director for clinical quality as saying the plan wanted to give members more choices, improve care across the network and credit doctors who are doing a good job.