CMS Physician Compare website lacks physician data

Editor's Note

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Physician Compare website contains quality information on just 23.3% of the more than 1 million physicians who care for Medicare patients, this study finds.

A total of 76.6% of physician had no performance data, and almost none (99.7%) listed on the site had any data tied to their job performance.

Though 27.8% submitted individual-level data to CMS, only 0.3% had individual data on the website.

Half provided details on no more than one or two quality outcomes.

Physician Compare’s weaknesses suggest that policy makers need to consider major revisions to the website or whether a different approach is needed for increased transparency, the authors say.