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As health care moves to the outpatient setting, home care providers are in a critical position to influence physician practice patterns. An effective communication plan that facilitates the exchange of information between the home care provider and its physician customers will bridge the customer service gap and strengthen the relationship between the physician and the provider.
Over 600 Howard University medical alumni of seven representative classes graduating from 1955 to 1975 were surveyed by questionnaire in 1975 and 1976. Replies of the 252 black respondents confirm that these graduates are providing substantial care to blacks, the economically disadvantaged, and residents of the inner city. Survey findings reaffirm the necessity to train more black physicians and to provide data on current and future practice patterns. Comparisons are made between the practice patterns of earlier (1955 to 1970) and later (1973 to 1975) black graduates. A general bibliography of publications relevant to the practice patterns of black physicians is included.
Errors in antimicrobial prophylaxis for surgical patients remain one of the most frequent types of medication errors in hospitals. Failure to administer the first dose of antimicrobial prophylaxis within the 2-h window of time before incision is associated with 2- to 6-fold increases in rates of surgical site infection. Optimal use of antimicrobial prophylaxis includes proper case selection; use of appropriate agents; proper dosing, route of administration, timing, and duration; and intraoperative dosing when appropriate. Effective use of antimicrobial prophylaxis also requires monitoring of and feedback on patterns of use. Programs to improve antimicrobial prophylaxis should be multidisciplinary and should aim to improve use of medications, not simply to change physician practice patterns. The LDS Hospital experience demonstrates the clinical and financial benefits of such a program and also shows the pitfalls of and great difficulties associated with changing systems of care.
A random sample by questionnaire in 1989 of U.S. physicians' perceptions of and management practices for significant fetal drug exposure in the specialty/sub-specialty areas of genetics, neonatology, pediatrics, family practice, neurology, and obstetrics and gynecology was analyzed. Neonatologists reported the greatest number of cases of significant fetal drug exposure, with 45% seeing at least one case per week. Of all physicians, 88% felt that fetal drug exposure is underreported in medical histories, with no statistically significant differences noted in responses for scope of practice or physician age and gender. Review of management styles showed that most physicians recognize the potential problems of fetal drug exposure and the desired intervention. There was, however, a small group of physicians (less than 10%) who did not follow this pattern. Fetal drug exposure continues to be an area in which continuing professional and public education is desirable.
A survey among oral contraceptive (OC) prescribers in the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands was performed to investigate OC prescription patterns before and after recent publicity in the media about studies reporting a higher risk of venous thromboembolism with OCs containing third-generation progestogens as compared to OCs containing second-generation progestogens. Before this publicity, most physicians prescribed third-generation OCs as their first-choice formulations for normal healthy women as well as for young girls (< 20 years) and older fertile women (30-35 years). In women presenting with cardiovascular risk factors, third-generation progestogens (desogestrel, gestodene) were considered safer and were five times more often prescribed than second-generation preparations (71% versus 14%). Most prescribers considered ethinylestradiol to be the most important component in relation to the risk of venous thromboembolism (71%), myocardial infarction (66%) and stroke (67%). In addition, for women presenting with cardiovascular risk factors, OC preparations containing 20 or 30 micrograms ethinylestradiol were considered safer than preparations containing 35 or 50 micrograms ethinylestradiol. Although the vast majority of prescribers (78%) stated that their attitudes towards safety of third-generation OCs had not changed since the recent publicity and the regulatory actions in some countries, 56% had changed their prescribing practice, largely due to patient concern about the safety of third-generation OCs. The results from this survey strongly suggest that, prior to the recent publicity, most prescribers considered third-generation OCs to be safer than second-generation preparations. Because of this perceived better safety profile, physicians have selectively been prescribing third-generation OCs to women at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This pattern of selective OC prescribing may have seriously biased the results of the recently published studies on OCs and venous thromboembolism in favor of second-generation OCs.
BACKGROUND: The Healthy People 2000 report recommended that physicians more actively address obesity, but little is known about current attitudes and practices of physicians, particularly across specialty areas relevant to obesity as a medical risk factor. METHODS: A mail survey of 1,222 physicians from six specialties (family practice, internal medicine, gynecology, endocrinology, cardiology, and orthopedics) investigated beliefs, attitudes, and practices regarding obesity in relation to medical risk, management, and interest in training and other resources. RESULTS: Specialty groups shared high concern for the health risks of moderate and morbid obesity, but distinct attitudes and patterns of practice emerged. For example, family practitioners, internists, and endocrinologists reported treating obesity themselves in about 50% of obese patients, which correlated with reported use of more active treatment approaches (r = 0.62, P < 0.0001). Other groups reported intervening with 5 to 29% of patients, but expressed greater interest in making referrals. Physicians reporting "any specialty training related to ... obesity" ranged from 4.5% of family practitioners to 36.4% of endocrinologists. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians express high concern with management of obesity but variable interest in assuming this role themselves. Mild obesity may be particularly undertreated. Research is critically needed to assess effective physician roles in weight management and to support the development of physician guidelines.
In industrialized countries, gender differences observed in health condition and the use of medical services appear insufficient to explain a greater consumption of psychotropic drugs in women than men. The authors have tested the hypothesis that physician prescribing patterns largely explains this observation. They demonstrate, using data from the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec for people aged 65 and over, that physicians' sociodemographic and practice characteristics are significantly associated with the percentage of men and women who receive a psychotropic drug prescription in their practice.
The investigation of healthcare professionals' practice patterns has increased sharply, in part driven by the development of practice guidelines; however, the optimal way to select providers is not known. We evaluated three distinct sources of physician specialists for completeness and potential biases. Professional society directories, which are frequently used to identify providers, provided biased populations. A national registry, the American Medical Association master file, produced the most comprehensive, least-biased single source.
Payers and providers of medical services need to understand what is effective in medical care and what determines patient outcomes. The diagnostic cluster methodology offers a way to analyze physicians' overall practice patterns in treating a specific medical condition and provides a good foundation for performing medical outcomes studies.
The actual and preferred methods of continuing medical education (CME) on diabetes were determined from a telephone survey of a stratified random sample of over 600 primary care physicians in Pennsylvania. A response rate of 73% was obtained. Journal articles were identified as the leading source of information that affected practice behavior related to diabetes. However, no single journal was read by a majority of physicians, and information provided in diabetes journals reached fewer than 10% of primary care physicians. Local educational programs and programs offered by hospitals were the preferred choices for continuing medical education. When reported patterns of care for diabetic patients were compared with published standards of care, no statistical differences were found between physicians who had and physicians who had not attended a CME course. To be most effective, CME courses should be intensive and may need to be presented locally to reach the widest possible audience.
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether physicians' preferences for end-of-life decision-making differ between blacks and whites in the same pattern as patient preferences, with blacks being more likely than whites to prefer life-prolonging treatments. DESIGN: A mailed survey. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: American Medical Association (AMA) and National Medical Association (NMA) databases. To enrich the sample of black physicians, we targeted physicians in the AMA database practicing in high minority area zip codes and graduates of the traditionally black medical schools. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported physician attitudes toward end-of-life decision-making and preference of treatment for themselves in persistent vegetative state or organic brain disease compared by race, controlling for age and gender. RESULTS: The 502 physicians (28%) who returned the questionnaire included 280 white and 157 black physicians. With regard to attitudes toward patient care, 58% of white physicians agreed that tube-feeding in terminally ill patients is "heroic," but only 28 % of black physicians agreed with the statement (P < .001). White physicians were more likely than black physicians to find physician-assisted suicide an acceptable treatment alternative (36.6% vs 26.5% of black physicians) (P < .05). With regard to the physicians preferences for future treatment of themselves for the persistent vegetative state scenario, black physicians were more than six times more likely than white physicians to request aggressive treatments (cardiopulmonary resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, or artificial feeding) for themselves (15.4% vs 2.5%) (P < .001). White physicians were almost three times as likely to want physician-assisted suicide (29.3% vs 11.8%) (P < .001) in this scenario. For a state of brain damage with no terminal illness, the majority of all physicians did not want aggressive treatment, but black physicians were nearly five times more likely than white physicians (23.0% vs 5.0%) (P < .001) to request these treatments. White physicians, on the other hand, were more than twice as likely to request physician-assisted suicide (22.5% vs 9.9%), P < .001 in this scenario. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians preferences for end-of-life treatment follow the same pattern by race as patient preferences, making it unlikely that low socioeconomic status or lack of familiarity with treatments account for the difference. Self-denoted race may be a surrogate marker for other, as yet undefined, factors. The full spectrum of treatment preferences should be considered in development of guidelines for end-of-life treatment in our diverse society.
There is now substantial scientific evidence that patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) have a high prevalence of hypercholesterolemia and stand to benefit significantly from efforts to lower cholesterol levels. To evaluate physician practice patterns and attitudes concerning cholesterol assessment and management of patients hospitalized with an admitting diagnosis of CHD, one-month medical record audits were performed during 1983, 1984, and 1985, and a physician survey was administered in early 1986. Medical records of 154 inpatients hospitalized with a diagnosis of CHD before 60 years of age showed that, on the average, 18% had lipid profiles ordered and 11% received a low-fat diet in the hospital. The admission history and follow-up notes mentioned the presence or absence of lipid abnormalities in 53% of CHD inpatients. No significant changes occurred from 1983 to 1985. Survey results from 184 hospital staff physicians caring for these patients showed that less than half believed that a reduction in blood cholesterol lowers risk for heart disease in middle-aged patients with CHD. Interns and residents indicated less confidence in the efficacy of cholesterol-lowering diet and drug therapy than did attending physicians. The implications of these findings for physician training are discussed in light of recent studies of the efficacy of cholesterol lowering in secondary prevention.
The American Medical Association recommends that physicians screen all patients for alcohol and other drug abuse so that substance-abusing patients can be referred for appropriate treatment. A 1991 survey of primary care physicians in Baltimore and Cumberland revealed that only 41% routinely screened their patients for alcohol problems and only 20% screened for other drug problems. These levels, as well as the levels at which Maryland physicians counsel, refer, and otherwise treat substance-abusing patients, are well below levels recommended by the AMA. The role that attitudes, confidence, and education play in determining physicians' practice patterns in regard to substance abuse is explored.
PURPOSE: Academic internal medicine practices face growing challenges to financial viability due to high overhead, competing institutional missions, and suboptimal physician productivity. The authors describe the development of a clinical incentive plan for a group of academic subspecialty physicians at the Dana Clinic, an outpatient setting at Yale School of Medicine, and report on results of the first year's experience under the plan. METHOD: Utility theory was used to assess the risk profile of clinic faculty and identify incentive payments that would optimize faculty benefit or "utility" while minimizing departmental costs. Under the plan, physicians who reached a productivity target based on work Relative Value Units (wRVUs) between October 2003 and November 2004 had overhead costs covered and received a fixed payment to support salary; additional incentive payments were available for those exceeding the target. Physicians failing to reach the target were responsible for their own overhead costs and received no fixed payment. Physician productivity as measured by wRVU per full-time equivalent (FTE) was compared for the year prior to, and the year following, incentive plan introduction. RESULTS: Forty-seven members of eight academic sections were included in the analysis. Median productivity improved by 34%, with 42 of 47 physicians showing improvement. Significant improvements were also noted in collections (62%) and visit volume (23%), and shifts were observed in coding patterns. CONCLUSIONS: The unique threshold-based structure of the incentive plan, as determined through utility theory modeling, as well as permitting physicians to choose how to achieve the wRVU target were key features of its success, resulting in improved productivity without increasing practice resources or faculty salaries.
To assess the implications of coronary stenting with several IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists, total hospital cost and adverse events were reviewed for 674 elective stent procedures from June 1998 through December 1998. The use of IIb/IIIa receptor antagonism and the agent selected were at the discretion of the interventional cardiologist. In-hospital, 30-day and 6-month adverse cardiac events were similar among the treatment strategies. Target vessel revascularization at six months was similar among the treatment strategies. Patients who received a IIb/IIIa receptor blocker with their stent procedure were less likely to be rehospitalized within 30 days. Multivariate regression analysis identified specific factors responsible for prolongation of hospital stay including adverse cardiac events, physician practice pattern and age greater than 70 years (all p < 0.002). Overall hospital cost for patients receiving tirofiban as an adjunct to coronary stenting was approximately $1,000 less than patients receiving abciximab. Total cath lab expenditures were similar for these groups and the savings in hospital cost was directly attributable to a lower pharmacy cost in the tirofiban group. Multivariate regression analysis identified adverse cardiac events, left ventricular systolic dysfunction, multiple stent placement, physician practice and abciximab as significant contributors to increased hospital cost (all p < 0.002). Tirofiban as an adjunct to coronary stenting was not identified by multivariate analysis as a significant contributor to hospital cost. Bleeding rates were similar among the treatment strategies. Thus, coronary stenting in our community hospital is associated with acceptable outcomes regardless of treatment strategy and hospital cost is significantly influenced by the use of IIb/IIIa blockade with stenting and the type of agent selected.
Population-based insurance systems using longitudinal administrative data and record linkage techniques have helped create "information-rich" environments in several sites around the world. The output of five research groups using administrative data (Oxford, Western Australia, and three Canadian centres: Manitoba, Ontario and British Columbia) was analysed from contacts with the research groups and through use of the National Library of Medicine's PubMed and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) categories. MeSH words "utilization", "economics", "physicians", and "physician practice patterns" more frequently characterized the research by the three Canadian centres than that of the other sites. With core funding for deliverables negotiated with the provincial health ministries, Canadian researchers have been more likely to use linked databases for policy analyses. Manitoba examples highlight the capabilities associated with these information-rich environments. They include the ability to analyse interventions longitudinally; to compare regions, areas and hospitals in defined populations; to combine information on patients and physicians; to add up expenditures for different services within the Canadian health-care system; and to examine population health issues in areas such as education and family services. Well-organized data and the capability for rapid response have been critical for timely policy analysis in Manitoba. A number of successes are mentioned; less successful efforts to influence practice patterns and to modify the internal workings of hospitals are noted. Investments in filling gaps in data collection and in enriching existing data would facilitate additional research. Planning and managing health care for an entire population has benefited greatly from the development of an information-rich environment.
BACKGROUND: Despite the growth of managed care in the United States, there is little information about the arrangements managed-care plans make with physicians. METHODS: In 1994 we surveyed by telephone 138 managed-care plans that were selected from 20 metropolitan areas nationwide. Of the 108 plans that responded, 29 were group-model or staff-model health maintenance organizations (HMOs), 50 were network or independent-practice-association (IPA) HMOs, and 29 were preferred-provider organizations (PPOs). RESULTS: Respondents from all three types of plan said they emphasized careful selection of physicians, although the group or staff HMOs tended to have more demanding requirements, such as board certification or eligibility. Sixty-one percent of the plans responded that physicians' previous patterns of costs or utilization of resources had little influence on their selection; 26 percent said these factors had a moderate influence; and 13 percent said they had a large influence. Some risk sharing with physicians was typical in the HMOs but rare in the PPOs. Fifty-six percent of the network or IPA HMOs used capitation as the predominant method of paying primary care physicians, as compared with 34 percent of the group or staff HMOs and 7 percent of the PPOs. More than half the HMOs reported adjusting payments according to utilization or cost patterns, patient complaints, and measures of the quality of care. Ninety-two percent of the network or IPA HMOs and 61 percent of the group or staff HMOs required their patients to select a primary care physician, who was responsible for most referrals to specialists. About three quarters of the HMOs and 31 percent of the PPOs reported using studies of the outcomes of medical care as part of their quality-improvement programs. CONCLUSIONS: Managed-care plans, particularly HMOs, have complex systems for selecting, paying, and monitoring their physicians. Hybrid forms are common, and the differences between group or staff HMOs and network or IPA HMOs are less extensive than is commonly assumed.
This report examines trends in the number and the rates of coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS) in Canada, performed over a six-year period from 1981-82 to 1986-87. The analysis includes comparisons of rates and events by sex, age and geographic location. In Canada 10,865 CABS were performed in 1986-87 representing a 39% increase over 1981-82. During the same period the rate of CABS rose to 43.2 per 100,000 population. In the twelve census metropolitan areas (CMAs) covered in this study, CABS increased 45.7% from 6,477 in 1981-82 to 9,439 in 1986-87, while hospital separations for Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) increased by 22.6%. Regionally the coronary artery bypass surgery rate was lowest in Halifax at 62.4 per 100,000 population and highest in Ottawa-Hull at 131.8 per 100,000 population. The average annual proportion of CMAs ranged from 15.5% for residents in Halifax (84.5% for non-residents) to a high of 65.7% for residents in Montreal (34.3% for non-residents). Procedure rates increased consistently among the 65-74 and 75+ age groups, remained stable in the 55-64 age group, and decreased in the 35-54 age group. The variations among the CMAs may in part be due to the amount of resources available in each CMA, the demand for this type of service and perhaps to differing patterns of physician practice.