Report Cards Just Might Suck

Doctors now get report cards as a way to focus in on medical interventions to save money, not heal people. Sound familiar? Click on the Larry Cuban link for the whole thing.

The quarterly “report card” sits on my desk. Only 33% of my patients with diabetes have glycated hemoglobin levels that are at goal. Only 44% have cholesterol levels at goal. A measly 26% have blood pressure at goal. All my grades are well below my institution's targets.

It's hard not to feel like a failure when the numbers are so abysmal. We've been getting these reports for more than 2 years now, and my numbers never budge. It's wholly dispiriting.

Danielle Ofri, M.D., Ph.D., via Larry Cuban