Certification and recertification. A consumer's view

The burgeoning of major research related to the effectiveness and appropriateness of clinical treatment methods as part of efforts to improve the quality of patient care provides added emphasis to consumer needs for certification and recertification. While there are multiple factors involved, the prime consumer question continues to be "How good is the physician and surgeon?" The combination of increased services delivered on an outpatient basis and in doctor's offices gives added weight to the importance of peer-approved physician competence. So, too, are the Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA) efforts to report on the quality of services in nursing homes. Research programs aimed at selecting preferred treatment methods are currently underway by a host of organizations, including the Rand Corporation and the American Medical Association, private sector insurers, and agencies of the federal government. Almost all, however, ultimately depend on the competence of the individual physician to put into clinical practice the knowledge and standards of the developing new research.