PST: The Provider Selection Tool

Oxford Health Plans, Inc. is a managed care organization whose goal is to deliver cost-effective, high-quality health care. Oxford’s product lines include traditional health maintenance organizations, point-of service plans, third-party administration of employer funded benefit plans, Medicare and Medicaid plans, and dental plans. A Member’s satisfaction with their Primary Care Physician (PCP) is important to their relationship with Oxford. People traditionally choose a doctor (i.e., a PCP) by asking family and friends for recommendations. While this will most likely remain the most trusted method for choosing a Physician, Oxford desires to act as an added supportive resource for helping Members make a wise decision. Oxford aims to complement and also confirm the advice of family and friends. Because of this, Oxford has developed the Provider Selection Tool (PST). PST is a case based reasoning tool, deployed within Oxford and on the World Wide Web, that elicits search criteria from a Member to assess and evaluate a roster of Providers that meet those criteria. These Providers are then evaluated and presented in ranked order based upon how well they match the criteria. By helping Members easily select the Provider that best meets their criteria, Oxford enhances the one-toone Oxford-Member relationship.