There is a small negative correlation between physician productivity and some pediatric quality measures, according to a study in the Journal for Healthcare Quality.
Researchers studied the relationship between four quality measures and the productivity of 21 pediatricians and family physicians in six Jefferson County, Ala., public sector clinics. Two of the measures were related to antibiotic use and two were related to asthma care:
1. Otitis media antibiotic use per physician. This measure is based on the standard of giving the antibiotic amoxicillin at the first diagnosis of a middle ear infection.
2. Frequency of all oral antibiotic prescriptions per physician. This measure is based on the standard of appropriate antibiotic use, with lower use indicating higher quality.
3. Frequency of asthma severity classification among all asthma patients. Classification of patients' asthma severity is recommended.
4. Frequency of asthma severity classification among asthma patients using an inhaled corticosteroid. Classification is especially important among patients with more severe conditions, such as those using an inhaled corticosteroid.
All other variables being equal, data from 13 consecutive quarters showed an overall low negative relationship between productivity and three measures of quality. Specifically, all quality measures except otitis media antibiotic use was negatively related to productivity. The magnitude of this relationship was small, however, particularly for the oral antibiotic prescription measure.
For example, for every 1 percent increase in physician productivity, there was a 0.24 percent decrease in the rate of classification of asthma patients and 0.23 percent decrease in the rate of classification of asthma patients on an inhaled corticosteroid.
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