profession
Study: Hepatitis C care could improve when doctors collaborate
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Aug. 23, 2010
The collaboration of primary care physicians and specialists could improve the quality of care for patients with chronic hepatitis C, according to a study published online Aug. 16 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. About 1.3% of the U.S. population is infected with the virus, which is the leading cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer.
Researchers examined data on 10,385 patients older than 18 with hepatitis C who were enrolled in a nationwide health insurance company research database from January 2003 through December 2006. They found that 18.5% of patients received all the treatment in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' seven quality-of-care indicators for hepatitis C. (link).
Patients treated by both primary care physicians and specialists were the most likely to receive any of the recommended care processes. The quality of care was lower for patients seen only by specialists or primary care doctors.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/08/23/prbf0823.htm.
