Thomson Healthcare, part of The Thomson Corp. of Stamford, Conn., has launched the Physician Performance Assessment tool aimed to help health plans, regional health collaboratives, and other organizations evaluate the quality and cost of medical care.
According to Thomson, the application works in two ways. First, it evaluates whether medical care follows established clinical guidelines, while it accounts for the severity and duration of the medical condition being treated. Second, it generates reports that inform physicians and physician networks about gaps in patient care, so they can take corrective steps and improve clinical quality.
The Physician Performance Assessment also shows care givers how they compare with their peers and generates reports that identify gaps in care and "action lists" indicating which patients need intervention, Thomson says. For example, doctors are informed whether their diabetic patients have received all the recommended care and, if not, which patients are missing tests or treatments.
