A Call I Can Finally Answer

A friend of mine called last week to ask for suggestions for a cardiologist and a cardiac surgeon. Her husband’s father had been admitted to the ICU and they determined that he needed a cardiac cath and possibly surgery. She reached out to me because she knows that Memphis Business Group on Health has been collecting information on the quality and efficiency of cardiac care in Memphis since 1997. She also knew that we had worked with physicians, including cardiologists, to help them evaluate the quality of care they gave their patients and to see if they met national standards. She knew that my father had practiced medicine in Memphis for 45 years and had referred me through the years to the physicians he knew would give me good care.

In the past, all I would have had to share with her was this “insider” information. Information that was not generally available to everyone in Memphis, but information I had because of my job and because of my family. One of the well-kept secrets in health care is that insiders know who the good doctors are but that information has only been available to those "in the know".

Well, today I am excited that we are beginning to “democratize” healthcare!!! No longer do you have to be an insider to get some credible information on our local physicians. I was able to refer her to www.healthymemphis.org and tell her to scroll down and click on “Patient Experience Survey” to go to the Consumer Checkbook survey results for over 400 Memphis-area physicians, including cardiologists. These results are based on perceptions of care gathered from thousands of Memphis-area residents about their physicians. I was also able to refer her to www.NCQA.org where she could click on the link “Recognition Programs” to see the list of cardiologists in Memphis that have voluntarily submitted information for evaluation and have been recognized for the quality of care they provide.

I am glad I can finally answer a call looking for a good physician by referring a friend to credible information. I hope my friend followed-up and used this information as well as information she gathered from her father-in-law’s primary care physician and other friends and family. Having this type of information publicly available to everyone, not just health care industry insiders, is a huge step in helping make quality care available to everyone in our community. But having this information will only help if we begin to use it. So, check the sites out yourself and let me know what you think.