title: Focus on quality: profiling physicians' practice patterns.
abstract: This article presents a physician practice profiling system developed using Medicare data to evaluate the quality of care provided by primary care physicians. We discuss four attributes to physicians' practice profiles that make them useful for quality improvement: flexibility, user involvement in developing profiles, explicit plans for evaluation, and fairness to groups of providers. This system serves as a model for physician profiling with a focus on quality of care measurement.
authors.affiliation: Heller Graduate School, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA.
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Garnick
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fowles
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Lawthers
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Weiner
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Parente
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Palmer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017064:Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000592:standards; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States