Evaluating Quality of Medical Care in the Neighborhood Health Center Program of the Office of Economic Opportunity

Twenty-four OEO Neighborhood Health Centers have been audited to determine the extent to which selected criteria were met in the fields of adult medicine, infant care, and obstetrical care. Principles of group operation, sample selection, the scoring process and findings are presented. The centers were ranked by their scores and various characteristics were examined. Program design, patient volume, medical school affiliation and, most important, administrative “know-how” were concluded to be major factors associated with high performance ratings. Audits of the professional judgments used in clinical management in six major specialty fields and dental care audits under-way at the present time are described. Although comparable data is presently unavailable from other settings, it is believed that the majority of the centers are performing at a satisfactory level.