Summary

Description

In What Influences the Awareness of Physician Quality Information, Implications for Medicare, published in Volume 4, Issue 2 of Medicare and Medicaid Research Review, the authors examine factors associated with awareness of publicly available information about physician performance. The population examined, people 65 years and older with chronic illnesses, have an overall awareness of 13 percent, similar to the general population. Age, race, education, and self-reported health status are associated with greater awareness of physician quality information (PQI), as are trust in the Internet as a source of health care information and not trusting ones physician as an information source. Population trends over time will not likely improve awareness, nor will increases in patient activation or satisfaction with care-both goals of recent Medicare initiatives. The need for devoting resources to stronger efforts that would raise awareness of PQI across all Medicare beneficiaries requires a clearer understanding of the level of beneficiary awareness needed to achieve the ultimate goal for transparent PQI, which is better quality of care for consumers.