Top NY lawmakers to back Cuomo doctor-ranking model

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two top state lawmakers in New York will support legislation based on the state attorney general's doctor-ranking system that will set a standard for health insurers, the attorney general's office said on Monday.

The announcement follows earlier agreements with the largest U.S. health insurers to adopt the model crafted by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Those insurers include WellPoint Inc, UnitedHealth Group Inc, Aetna Inc and Cigna Corp.

Health insurers nationally have been seeking to distribute more information to patients about health-care costs and quality as part of a push to arm them with more data to make health-care decisions.

The doctor-ranking system, which Cuomo created in consultation with the American Medical Association and other consumer and medical groups, compels insurers to fully disclose to consumers and physicians all aspects of the ranking system, according to the attorney general's office.

The system is designed to ensure that rankings for doctors are not based solely on cost and clearly identify the degree to which any ranking is cost-based.

Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver both agreed to support passage of the legislation, Cuomo's office said.

"The legislation will codify the Doctor Ranking Model Code which protects consumers and sets a standard for all insurers to meet," Cuomo said in a statement.

"It is imperative that New Yorkers aren't steered to certain 'preferred' physicians based solely on cost, but instead have access to clear and meaningful measurements of quality of care to help them make well-informed decisions," Cuomo said.

(Reporting by Lewis Krauskopf; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)