Second Surgical Opinion METHODOLOGY Introduction

Cluster sampling was employed in the conduct of this research study. Two clusters were identified. Both clusters were located within the same general hospital. The first cluster was comprised of patients undergoing Medicaid funded surgical procedures prior to the implementation of the second surgical opinion requirement for Medicaid funded patients. For this first cluster, a group of 100 patients receiving Medicaid funded surgical procedures were selected (through the application of random selection procedures) from among the population

of such procedures performed during the sixmonth time period immediately preceeding the implementation of the second surgical opinion requirement for Medicaid funded patients. The second cluster was comprised of patients undergoing Medicaid funded surgical procedures subsequent to the implementation of the second surgical opinion requirement for Medicaid funded patients. For this second cluster, a second group of 100 Medicaid funded surgical procedures were sel

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of unrepresentative data for the postimplementation time period. Research Hypothesis While there is little dispute over the objective of the second surgical opinion requirement, some observers have cited problems in implementation. The problems noted range from increasing, as opposed to declining, costs for Medicaid funded surgical procedures to the placing of Medicaid patients at increased risk because of delays in the delivery of necessary services to increased abuse of the Medicaid system by some physicians. This current study attempted to assess the impact of the second concurring opinion requirement of the cost of Medicaid funded surgical procedures. Within the context of this research objective, it was hypothesized that the costs associated with Medicaid funded surgical procedures will be higher in those cases where second concurring opinions are sought than in those cases where no second surgical opinion is obtained. 20 There was a methodologial limitation implicit in this hypothesis, and in the research design employed in the testing of this hypothesis. The hypothesis concerns cost relationships only between surgical procedures actually performed, and the research design provided for the collection of data f
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Approximate Word count = 1277
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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