Annals of family medicine
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Annals of family medicine · Nov 2009
Cost to primary care practices of responding to payer requests for quality and performance data.
We wanted to determine how much it costs primary care practices to participate in programs that require them to gather and report data on care quality indicators. ⋯ The costs of a quality-reporting program vary greatly by program and are important to anticipate and understand when undertaking quality improvement work. Incentives that would likely improve practice participation include financial payment, quality improvement skills training, and technical assistance with electronic system troubleshooting.
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Annals of family medicine · Nov 2009
Undisclosed changes in outcomes in randomized controlled trials: an observational study.
We wanted to investigate the frequency of undisclosed changes in the outcomes of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) between trial registration and publication. ⋯ There are substantial and important undisclosed changes made to the outcomes of published RCTs between trial registration and publication. This finding has important implications for the interpretation of trial results. Disclosure and discussion of changes would improve transparency in the performance and reporting of trials.
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Annals of family medicine · Nov 2009
Randomized Controlled TrialA medical assistant-based program to promote healthy behaviors in primary care.
Most primary care patients have at least 1 major behavioral risk: smoking, risky drinking, low physical activity, or unhealthy diet. We studied the effectiveness of a medical assistant-based program to identify and refer patients with risk behaviors to appropriate interventions. ⋯ Engaging more primary care team members to address risk behaviors improved referral rates. More extensive medical assistant training, changes in practice culture, and sustained behavioral interventions will be necessary to improve risk behavior outcomes.