profession
Patient mix throws wrench into quality scoring
Posted Sept. 20, 2010
How primary care physicians do on measures of quality care is affected significantly by the kinds of patients they care for, according to a study in the Sept. 8 Journal of the American Medical Association (link).
The study of 162 primary care doctors at nine practices affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston found that quality scores changed by an average of 15 percentage points once the rankings were adjusted for patient characteristics such as race, English-speaking ability, insurance status and income level. Unadjusted quality scores punish physicians who care for more at-risk patients, said study lead author Clemens Hong, MD, MPH.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/09/20/prbf0920.htm.












