BlueCross of Tennessee to share doctor ratings

Starting in April 2008, Blue Cross of Tennessee plans to give members with private insurance secured online access to data showing how much individual doctors charge for various procedures. Doctors will also be rated based on whether patients got the right treatments or tests required for certain conditions. Ratings such as these have become popular, but skeptics say the ratings could be used to steer patients to cheaper doctors who aren't necessarily the most qualified, and some doctors question the accuracy or completeness of the information culled from insurance claims.