title: Assessment of the quality of medical care among patients with early stage prostate cancer undergoing expectant management in the United States.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Given the increased attention to the quality and cost of medical care, the Institute of Medicine and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have called for performance measurement and reporting. The clinical management of prostate cancer has been outlined, yet is not intended to describe quality prostate cancer care. Therefore, RAND researchers developed quality indicators for early stage prostate cancer. The ACoS (American College of Surgeons) used these indicators to perform the first national assessment to our knowledge of the quality of care among men with early stage prostate cancer undergoing expectant management.
  
  
  METHODS
  Information from medical records was abstracted for evidence of compliance with the RAND indicators (structure and process). Weighted and stratified proportions were calculated to assess indicator compliance. Logistic regression models were fit and evaluated by hospital type and patient factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A weighted and stratified total of 13,876 early stage prostate cancer cases on expectant management in 2000 to 2001 were investigated. Compliance with structural indicators was high (greater than 80%) and compliance with process indicators varied (19% to 87%). Differences in process indicators were observed from models by hospital type and comorbid conditions, but not for age, race or insurance status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using the RAND quality indicators this study revealed several process areas for quality improvement among men with early stage prostate cancer on expectant management in the United States. Efforts to improve the quality of early stage prostate cancer care need to move beyond the paradigm of age, race and insurance status.
authors: American College of Surgeons, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors: Jamie
authors: J
authors: Ritchey
authors: E Greer
authors: EG
authors: Gay
authors: Benjamin A
authors: BA
authors: Spencer
authors: David C
authors: DC
authors: Miller
authors: Lauren P
authors: LP
authors: Wallner
authors: Andrew K
authors: AK
authors: Stewart
authors: Rodney L
authors: RL
authors: Dunn
authors: Mark S
authors: MS
authors: Litwin
authors: John T
authors: JT
authors: Wei
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D014481:United States; D057832:Watchful Waiting