| The Bigger The Physician Group The Better The Care, Study Finds
Large multispecialty groups and organized healthcare
delivery systems deliver higher quality care at a lower cost than other
providers in their market regions, according to a recent study by
William B. Weeks, a Dartmouth researcher.
"Higher Health Care Quality and Bigger Savings Found at
Large Multispecialty Medical Groups" was published Health Affairs
and reaffirms that accountable care organizations (ACOs) may well be a
key to containing the rising cost of healthcare while achieving
improved quality.
Weeks initiated the study with the Council of
Accountable Physician Practices (CAPP). Theresearchers compared the
costs and quality of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries by
physicians who did and did not work within large multispecialty group
practices affiliated with CAPP in 22 healthcare markets. After
adjustment for patient factors, in most markets CAPP group physicians
provided higher quality care at a 3.6 percent ($272) lower annual cost.
The findings of this study suggest that large
multispecialty medical groups already provide higher quality, lower
cost care, and would be well positioned to assume the role of
accountable care organizations," said Susan Dentzer, editor-in-chief of
Health Affairs.
Address: The Council of Accountable Physician Practices, 1 Kaiser Plaza, 27th floor, Oakland, CA 94612; (510) 891-5055, www.amga-capp.org.
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