Who can you trust on quality of health care!?

Communication from Dr. Jack Lewin, CEO, American College of Cardiology.

Doctors or patient-advocacy groups should be the ones to set standards for measuring and reporting health care quality, according to a survey from the American College of Cardiology.

The ACC released its survey results along with a new campaign to set
standards for quality in health care reform at a news briefing in Washington.

Eighty-six percent of the respondents said they would most trust physicians or
patient advocates to set quality standards.

“As the survey results indicated, the American public believes that physicians
must play a lead role in identifying the problems plaguing our health care system and in developing the solutions,” said Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.), who joined Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and ACC officials at the briefing.

Barton said crafting a health care reform bill that providers will support is a
challenge, especially on the issue of transparency. Most health care bills that have a transparency component often have to be pulled, mainly because “providers are opposed to the bill. They’re that afraid of it.”

Increased transparency, however, was one of the principles the ACC set forth in its new quality campaign, along with payment incentives for quality care and other initiatives.

The online survey was conducted Sept. 4-10 and polled a nationally representative sample of 1,003 adults who were likely to vote in the upcoming
elections.

Be Well!