Free midwife, obstetrician rankings available to Utahns

Utahns can now find out how well their obstetricians or certified nurse midwives perform.

SelectHeath, a nonprofit health-insurance carrier, has published quality and satisfaction ratings for 53 Utah OB and CNM clinics, representing nearly 200 Utah obstetricians and certified nurse midwives.

"These ratings help Utahns make informed decisions when choosing a provider," said Stephen Barlow, SelectHealth's chief medical officer. "The data also help providers, who can now see both their strengths and areas where they can improve."

The ratings are available to the public free of charge at selecthealth.org/ratings.

SelectHealth said the information offers a different approach to provider ratings. Rather than subjective criteria such as user comments or star ratings, its ratings are based on standardized, quantifiable data on clinical quality and patient satisfaction.

Clinical scores are based on nationally endorsed, quality standards of treatment, including breast cancer and chlamydia screenings. Primary C-section rates also are reported. Patient satisfaction ratings are calculated from an annual member survey, measuring patient experiences with providers, nurses and reception staff. Patients also rate the ease of scheduling an appointment, office wait time and facility cleanliness.

In addition to women's health information, SelectHealth publishes ratings for high-volume family medicine, internal medicine and pediatric clinics.

The Salt Lake Tribune