Tip of the week: Distribute physician feedback reports every six months

Because the goal of performance feedback is to allow physicians to improve performance, a physician’s access to his or her performance data shouldn’t be restricted. To allow for improvement, performance data must be provided systematically and in a timely manner. If the report is only passively available (physicians can, if they wish, see their data) many physicians may not bother to look at their reports. In addition, The Joint Commission’s standards for ongoing professional practice evaluation require a systematic and timely review of performance data.

The most practical approach is to distribute feedback reports every six months. This provides physicians with four reports during a two-year cycle and gives him or her a reasonable opportunity to improve if an indicator is outside an acceptable level.

This week’s tip is adapted from Measuring Physician Competency: How to Collect, Assess, and Provide Performance Data by Robert Marder, MD, CMSL; Mark Smith, MD, MBA, CMSL; Marla Smith, MHSA; and Vicky Searcy, CPMSM.