Cigna to share how it ranks doctors

— -- Cigna agreed to make public how it ranks doctors, won't evaluate its physicians on cost alone and will allow an independent national standard-setting organization to review its efforts every six months.

The agreement, believed to be the first of its kind nationally, should spur other insurers to take similar steps, said a coalition of consumer and employer groups who helped advise Cuomo's office on the agreement.

"A carefully designed physician-ranking program can provide valuable information to consumers. … However, an ill-designed program risks confusing or even deceiving consumers," said a recent letter from the New York attorney general's office to an insurer seeking more information on its program.

Doctor-ranking efforts launched by insurers in many states in recent years often create special "networks" of preferred doctors. Patients are sometimes given financial incentives to choose doctors from preferred lists. Doctors often oppose such rankings, questioning whether they fairly consider a doctor's overall performance, and lawsuits have been filed by doctors against insurers over the practice.