I received a great letter in the mail this week. How great? I plan to frame it and hang in a prominent place in our clinic office.
A major Managed Care Organization (MCO), with a high profit margin and a national reach, sent along this missive:
“Health Opportunity #1: Our records suggest that your patient may be concomitantly taking two different statin-containing drug products. Such use may result in an increased risk of toxicity without therapeutic benefit. If you haven’t already done so and it’s appropriate, please discuss this with your patient.
Health Opportunity #2: Our records suggest that your patient may have a history of diabetes mellitus or coronary artery disease and may benefit from a statin medication. If you haven’t already done so and it’s appropriate, please consider this medication for your patient.”
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Same letter, same patient.
Maybe I should send a letter back which reads: “My records suggest that your database is full of errors. If you haven’t already done so and it’s appropriate, please consider revamping your systems until you get it right.”
And we are supposed to trust MCOs to measure quality?