Quality of Care for Vulnerable Older Patients
Authors: Takahiro Higashi, Neil Wenger, Paul Shekelle
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2006)

Letters7 February 2006Quality of Care for Vulnerable Older PatientsTakahiro Higashi, MD, PhD, Neil Wenger, MD, MPH, and Paul Shekelle, MD, PhDTakahiro Higashi, MD, PhDFrom Kyoto University Department of Epidemiology and Healthcare Research, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; RAND, Santa Monica, CA 90407; and Greater Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA 90073.Search for more papers by this author, Neil Wenger, MD, MPHFrom Kyoto University Department of Epidemiology and Healthcare Research, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; RAND, Santa Monica, CA 90407; and Greater Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA 90073.Search for more papers by this author, and Paul Shekelle, MD, PhDFrom Kyoto University Department of Epidemiology and Healthcare Research, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; RAND, Santa Monica, CA 90407; and Greater Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA 90073.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-144-3-200602070-00017 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We interpret the findings very differently from the way Dr. Garrett and colleagues did, although we agree with their conclusion that there is a strong argument for palliative medicine for many of the patients in the study sample. Many of the quality indicators in the ACOVE measurement set focused on pain and end-of-life care.Dr. Garrett and colleagues state that there is a lack of association between our quality measurement and survival, yet the analyses in the article demonstrate a strong relationship. Their concern that only 1 of 9 of the most prevalent quality indicators (in Table 2) ... Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Takahiro Higashi, MD, PhD; Neil Wenger, MD, MPH; Paul Shekelle, MD, PhDAffiliations: From Kyoto University Department of Epidemiology and Healthcare Research, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; RAND, Santa Monica, CA 90407; and Greater Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA 90073.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoElectronic Health Records: Just around the Corner? Or over the Cliff? Richard J. Baron , Elizabeth L. Fabens , Melissa Schiffman , and Erica Wolf Quality of Care Is Associated with Survival in Vulnerable Older Patients Takahiro Higashi , Paul G. Shekelle , John L. Adams , Caren J. Kamberg , Carol P. Roth , David H. Solomon , David B. Reuben , Lillian Chiang , Catherine H. MacLean , John T. Chang , Roy T. Young , Debra M. Saliba , and Neil S. Wenger Quality of Care for Vulnerable Older Patients Stephanie L. Garrett , James G. O'Brien , and Toni P. Miles Metrics 7 February 2006Volume 144, Issue 3Page: 219-220KeywordsAge distributionConflicts of interestHealth care qualityPatientsQuality indicatorsRelative riskSurvival analysis ePublished: 7 February 2006 Issue Published: 7 February 2006 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2006 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...