Dealing with geographic variations in the use of hospitals. The experience of the Maine Medical Assessment Foundation Orthopaedic Study Group

• Published in: Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume Vol. 72; no. 9; p. 1286
• Main Authors: Keller, R B, Soule, D N, Wennberg, J E, Hanley, D F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.10.1990
• Subjects: Ankle Injuries; Ankle Joint - surgery; Forearm Injuries - surgery; Fractures, Bone - surgery; Hip Injuries; Hip Joint - surgery; Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Intervertebral Disc - surgery; Joint Prosthesis; Knee Injuries - surgery; Lumbar Vertebrae - injuries; Lumbar Vertebrae - surgery; Maine; Orthopedics - statistics & numerical data; Practice Patterns, Physicians' - statistics & numerical data; Sacrum - injuries; Sacrum - surgery; Sprains and Strains - surgery; Maine
• ISSN: 0021-9355
• DOI: 10.2106/00004623-199072090-00002

Orthopaedists and other physicians in Maine organized the Maine Medical Assessment Foundation to deal with the problem of variations in the rates of hospitalization for orthopaedic conditions. Five musculoskeletal injuries and five orthopaedic procedures were selected for study. The variation in decision-making by orthopaedists was least for fractures of the ankle and fractures of the hip and was greatest for fractures of the forearm, derangement of the knee, and lumbosacral sprain. The rates in an area tended to be consistently high or low for the same treatments. The major reasons for the variations appeared to be related to lack of agreement about optimum treatment. Feedback of data to physicians on variations in patterns of practice reduced the variations.