Great, yet another reason to be on our toes!
A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (June 7, 2005) gives evidence that doctors practicing in states that require the public reporting of patient-outcomes data are holding back potentially life-saving medical care from patients who are at high risk. The reporting of such outcomes data, both for individual doctors and for hospitals, is required in several states, and is widely regarded as a means of improving the quality of medical care.
I hope this link works. It's at http://heartdisease.about.com/
Scroll down to about the middle of the page and you should be able to see the topic in bold fonts. Dr. Rich critiques this article and always seems to be unbiased to me. You get the pros and cons of report cards.