A middle ground on public accountability.
This commentary discusses the complex interplay between payers, purchasers, patients, and healthcare providers in achieving systems for accountability. The authors share both sides of the argument on several issues, including the use of claims data, growing provider resistance, and ongoing public reporting initiatives. They synthesize the various positions by offering a place of compromise that must be reached to accomplish a set of shared goals. A similar past commentary also discussed the issue of accountability in health care.