ISSN: 2044-9038 (Print) 2044-9046 (Electronic)

Clinical Practice

Family Practice Peer Review

 Monitoring and evaluating the standard of care through referee may be a continual challenge for physicians. referee may be a time-honoured tradition for physicians and has been considered by many to be the cornerstone of excellent quality of care within the us . However, due to a scarcity of internal expertise, inadequate capacity for brand spanking new technology, conflicting interests and proposals , and a requirement for expertise in cases of potential malpractice suits, the physician referee process could also be suffering. A culture of “blame and shame” has permeated some referee activities. Merry and Crago2 state,They argue that the core professional values that have permeated the medical community since the time of Hippocrates haven't prevailed within the current business climate. By the mid-1990s, there was a realization that hospitals may benefit if quality improvement principles were infused into the referee process. Around this point , referee Organizations (PROs) mandated by Congress to oversee the care delivered to Medicare beneficiaries in each State began that specialize in quality improvement. Reports from Europe of “quality circles” indicate that this attitude is becoming increasingly useful in improving quality among family physicians. In rural hospitals, the issues of traditional referee are compounded for variety of reasons. First, the tiny medical staff in most rural facilities results in partner reviewing partner and physicians reviewing either their direct competitors or those that cover their own practices during day off . These interpersonal dynamics end in a constrained review with inherent conflicts of interest  

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