This project will develop a database of information on physicians designed to help consumers select physicians, a decision consumers face increasingly often as they join or switch among managed care plans with restricted physician panels. Intended as an independent, consumer-supported resource covering all physicians in the community, the database will include data on physician quality, as well as other items important to consumers such as health plan participation, special clinical interests, languages spoken, etc. Notably, the study will explore use of ratings of individual physicians' technical and interpersonal skills based on confidential assessments by physician peers, an approach which recent research has shown can be feasible and reliable, and which is expected to show high appeal to consumers. In Phase I, the database content will be specified based on study of the consumer appeal, feasibility, validity, and reliability of various data items. Data collection instruments and a database assembly plan will be developed. In Phase II, the database specified in Phase I will be assembled for asingle metropolitan area. and software to support its use will be written. In Phase III, access to database information will be marketed through a variety of formats and distribution channels.
