Utilization Review as a Means of Continuing Education

Utilization review can be seen as a challenge to improve the efficiency of medical care, the achievement of optimal appropriate outcome with the greatest possible parsimony in the use of resources. The efficiency of care received by patients hospitalized for congestive failure was measured by recording length of stay, number of days needed to reach cardiac compensation, number of chest x-rays, electrocardiograms, and laboratory determinations (SMA-12). Eight months after an educational effort, decrease in these indices indicated that greater efficiency of care had taken place. The factors believed to have been important in accomplishing this objective were: 1) importance of the objective to practicing physicians; 2) statement of the objective in realistic terms; 3) the use of peer data as a means of setting an achievable standard; and 4) peer pressure as a means of motivation.