Physician practices go under the microscope.

Abstract

Last spring, executives at Charles E. Still Osteopathic Hospital, Jefferson City, MO, distributed individual practice profiles to each member of the medical staff. The physicians threw the computer printouts into the nearest trash can. However, things have improved since then, and the physicians eventually became intrigued by the data. Hospital CEOs nationwide can identify with this experience. According to Hospitals survey data, 51 percent of hospital executives are generating practice profiles for medical staff members, but of this number, only 55 percent are sharing the data with the physicians. The question is: What's the best way to collect and share this profile information? This issue's cover story looks at how several hospital executives answered this question.