New York Attorney General and CIGNA Ink Agreement Regarding Physician Ranking System

New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (D) has signed onto an agreement with CIGNA, which will require CIGNA to provide its members with more information on how it ranks physicians. In August 2007, the New York AG warned Aetna and CIGNA that their physician ranking programs likely would confuse or mislead members because of problems with the information used to rank physicians. In addition, the New York AG had also asked UnitiedHealth Group to cancel their launch of a similar program or face possible legal action. Under the agreement, Cigna will divide its preferred physician list into three lists -- one that ranks by cost, one that ranks by quality and one that uses a combination of both measures. Cigna said that it always has used both cost and quality measures to rank physicians, but the insurer in the agreement pledged to make its ranking data more transparent to members. The agreement will require that CIGNA to report to the attorney general every six months and that it use an outside monitor. Aetna has said it will work with the NY AG on the issue and UnitedHealth and other carriers in the state have indicated a willingness to discuss an agreement as well. Medical groups including the AMCNO have expressed concerns that doctor rankings can be confusing and could be used to steer patients to the least-expensive health care providers, rather than being based on quality. The AMCNO is currently reviewing this issue and the agreement to determine if this is a matter for review in Ohio. To view the CIGNA agreement go to http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2007/oct/CIGNA%20Settlement%20Final.pdf