Age-Gender Registry Study

Protocol Overview

Age-Gender Registry Study was done at the beginning of the calendar year 1993, with a review of billings or visits over the period of January 1, 1991 through December 31, 1992. After careful considersation, PROS research management group (RMG) for this effort has settled on two alternative methods for practices to use in developing AGR's: the Computer Billing Method (CBM) and the Chart Samplling Method (CSM).

Method 1: Computer Billing Method (CBM)

For a practice to have participated in this method, it was necessary for its computer or billing service to be able to compile a listing of the number of patients who have been seen from January 1, 1991 through December 31, 1992 by year of birth and gender. The computer billing system must therefore be one that generates a unique identifier for each patient. If your current computer system does not have complete data for the years 1991 and 1992, your practice cannot use this method.

Data was reported to the PROS central office in the form of summaries of the numbers of males and females generated by the computer by year of birth.

Method 2: Chart Samplling Method (CSM)

Practices that could not(or did not wish to) use method 1 needed to sample their charts in the following manner. Every fifth chart needed to be pulled to arrive at a reasonably precise estimates for each age group. The pilot experience demonstrated that this procedure was the most efficiently accomplished by 2 people, a "chart puller" and a "recorder."

• a) Started the count with the first chart, pulled every fifth chart.
  
  
• b) If the patient was seen for a visit or had a procedure in the office from January 1, 1991 thorugh December 31, 1992, tally under the appropriate year of birth and gender. Year of birth had been chosen (rather than calculated age) to simplify the process. If the practice used family charts, they pulled every fifth chart and recorded each patient in the family who has been seen in the previous 2 years under the appropriate year of birth and gender.
  
  
• c) Submitted the recording forms to the PROS central office.