Where P4P meets invasion of privacy

Another insurer squeeze-job. Blue Cross wants mental health patients to fill out highly sensitive questionnaires to help gauge quality. Problem is, if they don’t fill out the forms, providers get hit with reimbursement penalties:

But some psychiatrists are skeptical about the accuracy of self-assessments, and others say patients will be reluctant to divulge highly personal information.

“Who in their right mind would fill out such a form?” said Dr. Marc Whaley , a Chatham psychiatrist and president of the Southeastern Massachusetts Psychiatric Society . “It’s just an intrusive invasion of privacy.”