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Biomedical subjects

M J Witt

Publications and source records attributed to M J Witt.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Improving group practice performance with benchmarking.

Group practices can use benchmarking to improve physician productivity to best-practice levels. The benchmarking process can be broken down into two phases. In the first phase, the problem is identified. This phase involves identifying critical drivers, choosing an external benchmark, gathering internal data, identifying variances, and establishing targets. In the second phase, action is taken. This phase involves identifying actions to take, defining responsibilities, implementing the changes, and monitoring performance. Group practices that use benchmarking need to understand the tool's limitations. Benchmarks serve as roadmaps, but any action plan should be tailored to the practice and take a variety of factors into consideration.

Benchmarking↗
PubMed2001

Improving IDS performance through group practice expense management.

IDSs can turn around an owned group practice's poor financial performance by taking steps to more effectively manage the practice's expenses. The primary areas on which an IDS should focus its expense-management efforts are physician compensation, nonprovider staffing, and facility planning. The physician compensation system, for example, should include incentives for physicians to improve performance and increase productivity, and the size of the nonprovider staff should be adjusted according to patient volumes. Other areas in which changes in strategy may be required include information system investments; budgeting, accounts-payable, and purchasing processes; and corporate allocations of practice revenues to recover practice acquisition costs.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMed1998

Hepatic insulin extraction after major hepatectomy.

BACKGROUND: After major hepatectomy, the remaining liver compensates for its reduced mass and maintains euglycemia through increased hepatic glucose output. The mechanism of this compensation may be a diminished hepatic extraction of portal insulin, which thereby decreases the suppressive effects of insulin on gluconeogenesis. METHODS: Extraction of insulin by the liver was measured using the isolated perfused rat liver model. Fasted Sprague-Dawley rats were studied at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 14 days after 70% hepatectomy. Control rats had no operation, and sham rats were studied 1 day after a sham laparotomy. The difference between portal and caval insulin concentrations was determined and reported as micromoles of insulin extracted per gram liver per minute. RESULTS: Insulin extraction decreased from 191 +/- 22 microU/gm liver/min in control rats to 87 +/- 13.2 microU/gm liver/min at postoperative day 1 (p = 0.0001). Extraction normalized by postoperative day 6. Extraction rates in rats recovering from sham laparotomy were similar to control rats (p = 0.088), suggesting that decreased extraction in hepatectomized rats was not due to postoperative stress. CONCLUSIONS: After 70% hepatectomy, the remaining liver extracts less insulin per gram. This may explain the ability of the reduced liver mass to maintain euglycemia after major hepatectomy.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1995

USP dissolution apparatus 3 (reciprocating cylinder): instrument parameter effects on drug release from sustained release formulations.

The United States Pharmacopoeia dissolution apparatus 3 (reciprocating cylinder) was evaluated with respect to effects of changes in instrument parameters on drug release rate from six hydrophilic matrix formulations and one coated-bead formulation. Reciprocation rate had the largest effect on time to 50% release for all matrix formulations. Top mesh size had an effect on release rate for those formulations having an erosion component to the drug release mechanism. Bottom mesh size had no effect on release rate. For the coated-bead formulation, no parameter had an effect on release rate. In an assessment of the hydrodynamics of the reciprocating cylinders, conditions equivalent to the 50 rpm paddle and 100 rpm basket were determined to be at the extreme low end of the available reciprocation rate range.

Chemistry, Pharmaceutical↗