Public information on private practice: the availability of physician inpatient data

Despite increased interest in information describing physicians and their hospitalized patients, little attention has been given to the availability of these data and the related policy issues. We surveyed the 20 states with a publicly mandated data system based on hospital discharge abstracts that included physician information. States vary considerably in their orientation toward the public availability of the information and in the ability to personally identify physicians from the data. Potential benefits and problems in using the information for health services research, in improving the quality of care, and in analyzing practice patterns are reviewed. The policy issues associated with the collection and use of publicly available data on physicians and their hospitalized patients are discussed.