Information systems and physician practice patterns: England and America compared.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Physician Productivity Analysis
• Comparative Healthcare Data

Background:

• Hospital managers can leverage comparative data to enhance physician productivity.
• Physician utilization data is often underutilized in hospital management strategies.
• There's a perceived gap between physician interest and managerial provision of productivity data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the current use of comparative physician productivity data in hospitals.
• To assess physician attitudes towards receiving and utilizing utilization information.
• To understand hospital managers' perceptions regarding the provision of such data.

Main Methods:

• Survey conducted in 19 US and British hospitals.
• Data collection focused on physician access to and perceived usefulness of comparative utilization information.
• Analysis of hospital information systems and data collection practices.

Main Results:

• Most physicians surveyed do not receive comparative data on their resource utilization compared to peers.
• A significant majority of physicians expressed a desire for and found value in this comparative information.
• Hospital managers generally perceived physicians as uninterested in utilization data, contrary to physician reports.

Conclusions:

• Hospitals have a significant opportunity to improve physician practice patterns by better utilizing comparative utilization data.
• Bridging the perceived gap between physician needs and managerial provision of data is crucial for effective healthcare management.
• Despite variations in systems, enhancing data utilization can optimize resource management across hospitals.