The American journal of managed care
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To evaluate measurement of physician quality performance, which is increasingly used by health plans as the basis of quality improvement, network design, and financial incentives, despite concerns about data and methodological challenges. ⋯ Available administrative data for a single health plan may provide insufficient information for benchmarking performance for individual physicians. Efforts are needed to develop consensus on assigning measure accountability and to expand information available for each physician, including accessing electronic clinical data, exploring composite measures of performance, and aggregating data across public and private health plans.
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To examine the association between physicians' reimbursement perceptions and outpatient test performance among patients with diabetes mellitus. ⋯ Reimbursement perception was associated with electrocardiography but not with other commonly performed outpatient procedures. Future research should investigate how associations change with perceived amount of reimbursement and their interactions with other influences on test-ordering behavior such as perceived appropriateness.
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To evaluate the association and concordance of the new 8-item self-report Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS) with pharmacy fill data in a sample of community-dwelling seniors with hypertension. ⋯ The MMAS is significantly associated with antihypertensive drug pharmacy refill adherence. Although further validation of the MMAS is needed, it may be useful in identifying low medication adherers in clinical settings.