Introducing the Axon Registry: An opportunity to improve quality of neurologic care.

Clinical quality data registries are increasingly popular tools used by providers to improve the quality of clinical care and satisfy growing numbers of regulatory and reporting requirements. Specialty societies use registries to provide value to their members and guide improvements in care at the population level. In this article, we outline the rationale, structure, function, and challenges related to the American Academy of Neurology's development of its own clinical quality data registry: the Axon Registry.

Practice improvement requires more than guidelines and quality measures.

Increasing emphasis on improving health care quality has led to a variety of programs that require neurologists to be familiar with the concept of systematic quality improvement. While they vary in extent, these quality improvement programs and their attendant costs now have implications for physician payment and certification. In response to these factors, the American Academy of Neurology is establishing a clinical quality data registry.

The income gap: specialties vs primary care or procedural vs nonprocedural specialties?

The gap in median income between primary care physicians and specialists is well-publicized. Health care policy discourse that focused on this gap currently pits primary care physicians against all specialists. However, a number of specialists are also nonprocedural in that they derive the bulk of their income from evaluation and management.

Physician compensation: approach and models in neurological practice.

Compensation methodology has always challenged physician groups. The highly complex system of reimbursement for the physician's services in the rapidly changing environment of health care makes the choice of a compensation model even more problematic. Any methodology chosen should reflect the underlying philosophy and culture of a group , and have the flexibility to accommodate the variability of interests, expertise, energy levels, and practice styles of its members.