TY - JOUR
T1 - Explaining variation in physician practice patterns and their propensities to recommend services
AU - O'Neill, Liam
AU - Kuder, John
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2011 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2005/6
Y1 - 2005/6
N2 - Variations in physician practice patterns have important implications for quality and cost. The purpose of this article is to explain variation in physicians' practice patterns in terms of physician personal characteristics, practice setting, patient population, and managed care involvement. Data on 2,455 primary care physicians were derived from the Community Tracking Study Physician Survey (1996-1997). Factor scores were determined based on responses to three clinical scenarios that represent discretionary medical decisions. These scenarios include a specialist referral for benign prostatic hyperplasia, prescription drugs for elevated cholesterol, and an office visit for vaginal discharge. Physician age, being a foreign medical school graduate, being a solo practitioner, and having a larger proportion of Medicaid patients were all associated with higher factor scores, a greater likelihood of ordering a service. Being board certified was associated with lower factor scores. Managed care involvement was nota significant predictor of factor scores.
AB - Variations in physician practice patterns have important implications for quality and cost. The purpose of this article is to explain variation in physicians' practice patterns in terms of physician personal characteristics, practice setting, patient population, and managed care involvement. Data on 2,455 primary care physicians were derived from the Community Tracking Study Physician Survey (1996-1997). Factor scores were determined based on responses to three clinical scenarios that represent discretionary medical decisions. These scenarios include a specialist referral for benign prostatic hyperplasia, prescription drugs for elevated cholesterol, and an office visit for vaginal discharge. Physician age, being a foreign medical school graduate, being a solo practitioner, and having a larger proportion of Medicaid patients were all associated with higher factor scores, a greater likelihood of ordering a service. Being board certified was associated with lower factor scores. Managed care involvement was nota significant predictor of factor scores.
KW - Automatic interaction detection
KW - Physician practice patterns
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=18644381484&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1077558705275424
DO - 10.1177/1077558705275424
M3 - Article
C2 - 15894708
AN - SCOPUS:18644381484
SN - 1077-5587
VL - 62
SP - 339
EP - 357
JO - Medical Care Research and Review
JF - Medical Care Research and Review
IS - 3
ER -