WASHINGTON – California health plans paid $65 million in 2007 to California physician groups participating in their pay-for-performance programs, the Integrated Healthcare Association has reported.

As more payers across the country implement or report results of P4P programs, the question of whether the industry needs national standards for measuring quality is being asked.

“I think we need national standards,” said Thomas Williams, IHA’s executive director.

National quality standards can be used by all P4P programs as the core set for measurement, with states, payers and healthcare organizations adding new measures to address their particular patient population, he said.

The National Quality Forum has endorsed 350 performance measures of leading clinical conditions that comprise the bulk of healthcare services, said Janet Corrigan, president and CEO.