FAQS
Why is this information important to me?
What is quality health care?
What kind of information can I find in the Reports?
How do I find my physician?
Why don’t I see my physician in the myCareCompare PO Performance Report?
What is a PO?
What does GDAHC do?
Why is this information important to me?
When we go to a hospital or physician’s office we expect to be seen promptly, to be treated with courtesy, to be listened to, and to get the care that’s most likely to help us. Some of these things we can evaluate ourselves, such as how long we had to wait and whether we were treated with courtesy and respect; but other things, such as the quality of care doctors and hospitals provide, require data to be collected, analyzed and reported.
You can use the Provider Performance Reports to:
- Understand how well doctors and hospitals in Southeast Michigan provide some types of care.
- Learn about the differences in the quality of health care. This is important because both good and bad care is being provided in hospitals and doctors’ offices.
- Learn how to form a better partnership with your doctor by asking questions (See “What should I ask my doctor?”).
- Help select a doctor for you and your family (See “I need a doctor. How will this Web site help me?”).
- Become a better informed health care consumer.
- Learn about things you can do to improve the care you get related to the measures included in the Report.
What is quality health care?
Quality health care can be defined as:
- Care that is proven to work
- Care that doesn’t cause harm
- Care that is responsive to patient needs and preferences
What kind of information can I find in the Reports?
The Hospital Performance Report provides information about the quality of care provided by hospitals located in the seven counties of Southeast Michigan—Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Livingston, Monroe and St. Clair.
The Physician Organization (PO) Performance Report shows how well physicians in each PO did in providing care for various types of services and how well patients complied. This Report allows consumers to make better informed decisions about their health care, and it also allows doctors to see how they compare to other groups of doctors, to learn from each other and to improve the care they give.
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Many doctors in Southeast Michigan belong to groups called Physician Organizations (POs). Physician Organizations help doctors share information about best practices for treatment, which helps doctors improve the quality of your care. POs also work with their physicians to help keep costs down so that medical care is more affordable. Physician Organizations are made up of doctors in many specialties in offices and clinics throughout Southeast Michigan. Physician Organizations vary widely in the number of physicians and the location of the physician offices included in each PO.
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How do I find my physician?
Click on the “Physician Lists” button to see two lists:
- Alphabetical:
Sorted alphabetically by physician last name, these lists include all the physicians in the Physician Organizations included in the Report. The lists include each physician’s name, degree (MD or DO) and the PO the physician belongs to; physicians who are members of more than one PO are listed in more than one PO. - By Physician Organization:
Sorted alphabetically by Physician Organization Name. Within each PO there is an alphabetical list of the physicians who are members of the PO, sorted alphabetically by the physician’s last name. These lists include each physician’s last name and degree (MD or DO); physicians who are members of more than one PO are listed in more than one PO. Click on the name of the particular Physician Organization to go to the page listing physicians in each of the POs.
Search through these lists to see if your doctor or your doctor’s PO are included in the Report.
Note that only primary care physicians are included in the Report.
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Why don’t I see my physician in the myCareCompare PO Performance Report?
If you cannot find your doctor listed on this Web site or in any of the Physician Organization links, it may mean:
- Your doctor was not a member of one of the Physician Organizations at the time of the Report (December 31, 2010); your doctor may have joined a Physician Organization after the data was collected.
- Your doctor may be a specialist. The myCareCompare PO Performance Report only includes data for care provided by primary care physicians. (See "What is a primary care physician?")
- Your doctor does not belong to a Physician Organization; not all doctors in Southeast Michigan belong to POs.
- Your doctor’s Physician Organization did not have enough data to be included in the Report.
Even if your doctor does not belong to one of the POs in the myCareCompare PO Performance Report, you can ask your doctor about the tests and treatments in this Report that have been scientifically proven to help patients. These include best practices for diabetes, heart disease, asthma medication, cancer screening, antibiotic medication, back care, emergency room use and child health care visits. Looking at the Report can help you think about questions to ask your doctor.
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The Greater Detroit Area Health Council (GDAHC) is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder regional coalition. We address issues of health care quality, access and cost in Southeast Michigan, which consists of the core Detroit metropolitan area including Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, and the remaining Southeast Michigan counties of Washtenaw, Livingston, Monroe and St. Clair.
As a health care leader that is recognized regionally and nationally, GDAHC works with everyone who gets care, gives care, and pays for care to lift the quality of overall care in the community. Through innovative programming and activities, GDAHC advocates and leads change and improvement within the seven counties of Southeast Michigan.
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