Problems with Quality Measures

Are quality based incentive programs the solution for improving physician quality without increasing cost? While I believe that measuring quality is an important avenue by which quality can be improved, it is not a magic bullet. A study by Gilmore, et al. (HSR 2007) looks at a pay-for-performance scheme developed in Hawaii. The authors look…

Health Plan Report Cards

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is a “not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality.” One of their major initiatives is the Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) which aims to evaluate the quality of care offered by various health plans. In a 2001 NBER working paper (“Learning…“), researchers Michael Chernew,…

Family MDs and Technology

Last month’s Wall Street Journal (“Faltering Family MDs get Technology Lifeline“) has an interesting article about how small-practice physicians are using technology as a weapon against the economies of scale which physicians working for large-scale practices enjoy. The article tells the story of Dr. Gordon Moore. When he worked at a large, hospital-owned medical practice,…

Regulating Misinformation

“Cancer cured with soothing balmy oils.” Appeal to Reason “According to this repeated nationwide survey, more doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.” – TV ad Regarding patent medicine sold at the end of the nineteenth century: “…the medicines were ineffectual. Some of the syrups contained as much as 80 per cent alcohol; many of…

Giants of industry push for electronic medical records

According to the Economist magazine (“Bit by bit“), firms such as Wal-Mart, Pitney Bowes, and Intel are announcing plans to launch an online patient-information service next year with the non-profit firm Omnimedix Institute. The consortium aims to develop Dossia, which—according to the institute—is “a secure, private, independent network for capturing medical information and delivering it…