Pro Computers and the Quality of Medical Care

In: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2578611

Abstract

The PRO program constitutes a role reversal for peer review because of the DRG system. When price per diagnosis is fixed, only quality can vary. Meager funding forces the PRO to rely on computer data, but the data set contains little that is useful in assessing quality. Furthermore, the PRO must depend on fiscal intermediaries, planning organizations and state welfare agencies to provide the data, check it for accuracy, and supply it in a timely fashion. Since the other organizations have been either indifferent or hostile to the peer review process, the PRO data program has more to do with organizational politics than with computers.