Developing an in-house physician advisor program

The rapid rise in health care costs during the 1980s has led to a growing demand for utilization management companies, supported by teams of physician advisors. The increasing involvement of physician advisors in day-to-day case review has also led to a growing necessity for their being hired on an in-house basis. This article attempts to show a basic process for developing a functional and efficient in-house physician advisor program.     

Analysis of interval-grouped recurrent-event data using piecewise constant rate functions

We consider situations where subjects in a longitudinal study experience recurrent events. However, the events are observed only in the form of counts for intervals which can vary across subjects. Methods for estimating the mean and rate functions of the recurrent-event processes are presented, based on loglinear regression models which incorporate piecewise-constant baseline rate functions. Robust methods and methods based on mixed Poisson processes are compared in a simulation study and in an example involving superficial bladder tumours in humans. Both approaches provide a simple and effective way to deal with interval-grouped data.     

La revue canadiennede statistique statistical science: Concepts,opportunities and challenges

Advances in computing and information technology have had a profound impact on many areas of human activity. Statistical tools are ever more widely used, often in new and unconventional environments. Opportunities for statisticians have never been greater, and at the same time, the use of statistics by others is increasing. The author discusses challenges which arise from these conditions, with emphasis on the identity, activities and education of statisticians.     

ONE APPROACH TO REALLOCATING INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES: THE HOUSTON MODEL

In this paper a model for deciding which instructional departments should receive and surrender new or reallocatable resources is developed. It combines a two-dimensional assessment of resource needs based on instructional characteristics and the academic priority of the department to arrive at resource allocation priorities. Unusual features of the model are its reliance on judgments of departmental centrality to institutional mission as the discriminating variable in ascribing academic priorities and the careful avoidance of “halo effects” through independent assessment of resource needs and academic priorities. The model is sensitive enough to discriminate between competing claims for scarce resources while retaining a simplicity of logic that makes its mechanics understandable to those with little grounding in the decision sciences.