Quality health care

Article Abstract:

Efforts to improve the quality of health care have produced encouraging results, as networks of health care professionals adopt new practices. Eighteen months after instituting quality management, the mortality rate for community-acquired pneumonia at a community hospital fell from 10.2% to 6.8%, while total hospital charges decreased 9% from $10,574 to $9,629. Antibiotics were administered early and the processes of providing care were improved. Medical teams devised guidelines for treatment by comparing the charts of patients who died and those who survived. The unnecessary use of catheters has been cut by quality improvement methods and preventive services have improved.

Statistics, Medical care, Quality management, Medical care quality, Quality control

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Insurance coverage, physician recommendations, and access to emerging treatments: growth hormone therapy for childhood short stature

Article Abstract:

Many insurance companies will not cover growth hormone therapy even though a physician may recommend it. Researchers surveyed 1,504 primary care physicians, 534 pediatric endocrinologists and 113 several different insurers, including HMOs. Physicians recommended growth hormone therapy for 78% of children with growth hormone deficiency, Turner syndrome, or kidney failure. However, 28% would have been denied coverage by their insurance plan. Most insurance plans would not cover growth hormone therapy for short stature.

Care and treatment, Children, Insurance

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Short stature and growth hormone therapy: a national study of physician recommendation patterns

Article Abstract:

Many pediatricians will prescribe growth hormone for short children who are not growth hormone deficient. This was the original indication for growth hormone. A survey of 434 pediatricians found that they were more likely to prescribe growth hormone for these children if they believed the child was not growing properly and would be emotionally damaged by short stature. They were also more likely to prescribe growth hormone if it was relatively inexpensive and the family strongly wanted the treatment.

Drug therapy

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