The American journal of medicine
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To determine whether feedback of comparative information was associated with improvement in medical record and patient-based measures of quality in emergency departments. ⋯ Feedback of benchmark information and subsequent quality improvement efforts led to small, although significant, improvement in compliance with process-of-care guidelines and patient-reported measures of quality. The measures that relied on patient reports of problems with care, rather than patient ratings of satisfaction with care, seemed to be more responsive to change. These results support the value of benchmarking and collaboration.
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Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is frequently associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and dyslipidemia, but some patients have normal glucose tolerance or normal weight. We tested the hypothesis that there is an association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and insulin resistance that is independent of diabetes and obesity. ⋯ Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia even in lean subjects with normal glucose tolerance. Genetic factors that reduce insulin sensitivity and increase serum triglyceride levels may be responsible for its development.