Is it time for a HIPAA for physicians?

Practices, hospitals, and healthcare systems are increasingly able to collect data about individual physician clinical performance. There is a strong temptation to use the data to make decisions about physicians' quality of care without first taking the time to establish a system that ensures valid conclusions. In addition, physicians are not informed that their data are being used, and thus do not have an opportunity to correct any inaccuracies. A HIPAA-equivalent law or regulation for physicians would help patients and physicians more accurately address these and other issues related to complex healthcare data. FERPA provides a useful framework for these concerns.