The American Medical Association and physician performance measurement: information for improving patient care.

The American Medical Association convenes clinical experts from national medical specialty societies and experts in methodology and data collection to develop physician clinical performance measures. These measures, derived from established clinical recommendations, are intended to facilitate continuous quality improvement by physicians. Through notification and education about their performance, physicians can determine if, and where, changes are needed to improve patient care. Other approaches to physician performance measurement that seek to externally compare physicians should be viewed with caution because of one or more methodological concerns. The medical profession is committed to engaging physicians in performance measurement for quality improvement.