5/10/2010 – Marc T. Edwards, MD MBA, President & CEO of QA to QI Consulting announced that 2 manuscripts reporting the results of the ACPE Clinical Peer Review Outcomes Study have been accepted for publication by the American Journal for Medical Quality (AJMQ): Clinical Peer Review Program Self-Evaluation for US Hospitals and The Objective Impact of Clinical Peer Review on Hospital Quality and Safety. Despite the overall importance of the peer review process to the profession of medicine and to the quality and safety of patient care, this was the first study of its kind.
Overall, the study confirmed the primary findings from 2007, validated the utility of the Peer Review Program Self-Evaluation Tool, identified the influence of organizational culture on program effectiveness, and linked specific program characteristics embodied by the QI Model to better performance on objective measures of hospital quality and safety. More than half of US hospitals rely on an outmoded and dysfunctional methodology for peer review. The published articles will offer considerable practical advice for program improvement.
Objective data for quality and patient safety came from the CMS Hospital Compare website, and with cooperation from leadership at Thomson Reuters, Premier CareScience and HealthGrades. Data collection for the study ran from August 11 through September 30, 2009. Online publication of the articles is expected this summer. Says Dr. Edwards, "I am most pleased with the rapid cycle from data collection to reporting of results for this study. The frustration of getting the first National Peer Review Practices Survey results in to print was a good learning experience. I am already working on the next phase of research into best practices. The Normative Database Project will serve as the primary platform for data collection."
This brings Dr. Edwards' total of scientific manuscripts related to clinical peer review accepted to peer-reviewed journals to 5, ranking him with the foremost researchers on the subject.
The ACPE (Tampa, FL; now the American Association for Physician Leaders www.physicianleaders.org, the premier membership association for physician leaders). It is dedicated to education and professional development. QA to QI LLC dba QA to QI Consulting (West Hartford, CT; www.QAtoQI.com) is a boutique firm specializing in the development of new tools for healthcare improvement.