LETTER
How Much Are We Willing To Pay for Information about Quality
Lisa I. Iezzoni, MD, MSc
1 May 1997 | Volume 126 Issue 9 | Page 746
TO THE EDITOR:
The Annals published the uncorrected version of my editorial [1], written to accompany the paper by Pine and colleagues [2]. Annals copyeditors had made changes to a key sentence of my editorial that obscured my central concern about the claims of Pine and colleagues. I corrected this and other minor errors when reviewing the galley proofs, but unfortunately the uncorrected version went to press. This letter correctly states the message of my original manuscript.
In the fourth paragraph of my editorial, I noted that Pine and colleagues suggested that linking existing electronic data from laboratory reporting systems to administrative files could provide a cost-effective means to add valuable clinical information to reports about patient outcomes. However, they did not do so themselves. Although they advocated the utility of electronic laboratory information, it was ironic, but telling, that they used data abstracted manually from medical records. The incorrect version of the editorial made it appear that Pine and colleagues had actually done what they espoused (that is, used electronically transmitted laboratory data), whereas they had not.
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Author and Article Information
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Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02215
1. Iezzoni LI. How much are we willing to pay for information about health care quality? [Editorial] Ann Intern Med. 1997; 126:391-3.
2. Pine M, Norusis M, Jones B, Rosenthal GE. Predictions of hospital mortality rates: a comparison of data sources. Ann Intern Med. 1997; 126:347-54.
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