Integrated Medical Groups and Higher-Quality Medical Care
Authors: Ateev Mehrotra, Arnold M. Epstein, Meredith B. Rosenthal
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2007)

Letters17 July 2007Integrated Medical Groups and Higher-Quality Medical CareAteev Mehrotra, MD, MPH, Arnold M. Epstein, MD, MA, and Meredith B. Rosenthal, PhDAteev Mehrotra, MD, MPHFrom the University of Pittsburgh and RAND Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115.Search for more papers by this author, Arnold M. Epstein, MD, MAFrom the University of Pittsburgh and RAND Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115.Search for more papers by this author, and Meredith B. Rosenthal, PhDFrom the University of Pittsburgh and RAND Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-147-2-200707170-00021 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We agree with Dr. Kumar that using claims data to measure quality has limitations (1), although claims data might be more accurate than medical charts for some quality measures we studied, such as diabetic eye screening or mammography, which are conducted outside the primary care office and are tied to reimbursement (2). Our goal was to compare the quality in different types of physician groups. We know of no evidence that any biases in claims data would vary systematically by type of physician group, and the performance data were audited to evaluate completeness and accuracy. In speculating about ...References1. Iezzoni LI. Assessing quality using administrative data. Ann Intern Med. 1997;127:666-74. [PMID: 9382378] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Diamond CC, Rask KJ, Kohler SA. Use of paper medical records versus administrative data for measuring and improving health care quality: are we still searching for a gold standard? Dis Manag. 2001;4:121-30. CrossrefGoogle Scholar3. Kletke PR, Emmons DW, Gillis KD. Current trends in physicians' practice arrangements. From owners to employees. JAMA. 1996;276:555-60. [PMID: 8709405] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Choudhry NK, Fletcher RH, Soumerai SB. Systematic review: the relationship between clinical experience and quality of health care. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142:260-73. [PMID: 15710959] LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From the University of Pittsburgh and RAND Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoAssessing Quality Using Administrative Data Lisa I. Iezzoni Assessing Quality Using Administrative Data Lisa I. Iezzoni Systematic Review: The Relationship between Clinical Experience and Quality of Health Care Niteesh K. Choudhry , Robert H. Fletcher , and Stephen B. Soumerai Do Integrated Medical Groups Provide Higher-Quality Medical Care than Individual Practice Associations? Ateev Mehrotra , Arnold M. Epstein , and Meredith B. Rosenthal Integrated Medical Groups and Higher-Quality Medical Care P. Dileep Kumar Metrics 17 July 2007Volume 147, Issue 2Page: 147KeywordsChartsConflicts of interestElectronic medical recordsMammography ePublished: 17 July 2007 Issue Published: 17 July 2007 CopyrightCopyright © 2007 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...