TOPSHAM — The Maine Health Management Coalition is one of 10 community-based health care alliances selected to participate in the Doctor Project, an innovative $1.3 million project from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help consumers better understand and assess the quality of health care provided by local physicians.

The project provides participants with resources to develop community specific reports that measure local physicians’ adherence to known chronic disease management techniques, patient experience of care and other factors.

The organization publishes the reports on the website, www.getbettermaine.org. The Maine Health Management Coalition will also publish their results in special issues of Consumer Reports magazine.

“We are excited about this opportunity to compare ourselves against other communities and to work with stakeholders from around the country to make this information available. In order for our community to make informed choices about their health care, we need reliable information about the quality of the care we’re delivering,” said Andy Webber, CEO. “As part of the Doctor Project we will be partnering with national media outlets to put this information into the hands of our residents.”

The Maine Health Management Coalition (MHMC), a national leader in reporting information on the quality of care doctors provide, manages the Doctor Project through a grant from RWJF. It builds upon RWJF’s longstanding efforts to improve public reporting information on the quality, cost and value of health care.

“More often than not it is easier for Americans to get restaurant reviews than to get reliable and easy-to-understand information about the quality of care their doctors are providing,” said Susan Mende, BSN, MPH, senior program officer at RWJF. “Through the Doctor Project we are aiming to change that by creating sustainable reporting systems that are essential to building a national culture of health for generations to come.”

The other organizations selected from the program include Common Table Health Alliance, Memphis, Tenn.; Greater Detroit Area Health Council, Detroit, Mich.; Healthcare Collaborative of Greater Columbus, Columbus, Ohio; Integrated Healthcare Association, Oakland, Calif.; Massachusetts Health Quality Partners, Massachusetts; MN Community Measurement, Minnesota; the Health Collaborative, Cincinnati, Ohio; Washington Health Alliance, Washington State; and Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality, Wisconsin.

Consumer Reports expects to publish results from the Doctor Project beginning this year.