Bridges to Excellence Frequently Asked Questions 4
About Performance Assessment Organizations
15. What are Performance Assessment Organizations (PAOs) and which ones
participate with BTE?
Performance Assessment Organizations are responsible for maintaining and measuring the performance standards
used to determine which level of BTE certification a physician or practice achieves. The following chart displays the
Performance Assessment Organizations currently participating with BTE.
PAO
Program
Market Area
NCQA
Cardiac Care Link
Diabetes Care Link
Physician Office Link
National
Quality Improvement
Organizations
Physician Office Link
Massachusetts MassPro
New York IPRO
Minnesota
Measurement
Collaborative
Diabetes Care Link
Minnesota
About Physician Online Services
16. Who do I contact for questions specific to using the Physician Online Services site?
Please contact HealthGrades Customer Service via email at info@healthgrades.com, or call (303) 716-0041.
Customer Service is available between 8am and 5pm MST, Monday through Friday.
17. How does practice composition, as maintained on the Physician Online Services site,
impact rewards for Physician Office Link?
Practice composition is the collection of physicians that are part of your practice as defined in the Physician Online
Services system. Rewards for Physician Office Link are based on the practice composition shared with the
performance assessment organization as originally entered on the site. Any changes to practice composition, as
maintained on the site, within 60 days of initial registration will not impact the rewards for the current period. While
physicians may be associated to the practice at any time to receive recognition on HealthGrades public site,
association outside the initial registration period does not entitle the physician or practice to rewards.
18. How is the "Bridges to Excellence Seek Recognition From" field used by BTE?
When registering, please indicate which Performance Assessment Organization (PAO) you are currently seeking
recognition from. If at some point in the future you begin the process of seeking recognition from a different PAO
for another BTE program, please update this field. Note that this field exists for both practices and for each
physician.
19. How are Practice Mailing Address and Physician Mailing Address used?
These addresses are used by participating health plans for payment of BTE rewards. Any questions about rewards
and payments should be directed to the individual health plans.
20. What are the BTE ID and BTE Practice ID and where can I find these?
The BTE ID is assigned by BTE for purposes of tracking a physician through the BTE rewards and recognition
process. This ID is unique for each physician and can be found on the physician's profile within the Physician
Online Services site.
The BTE Practice ID is assigned by HealthGrades when a practice is established. This unique practice ID is used
for the Physician Office Link program and tracks the practice and associated physicians throughout the rewards
