From the *General Medicine Division and the Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Medical Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts,
†the Center for Cost and Outcomes Research and the Departments of Medicine and Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, and the
‡Maine Medical Assessment Foundation, Augusta, Maine.
Supported by grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HS-06344, HS-08194, and HS-09804).
Acknowledgment date: July 22, 2002.
First revision date: January 3, 2003.
Acceptance date: January 10, 2003.
The manuscript submitted does not contain information about medical device(s)/drug(s).
Federal funds were received in support of this work. No benefits in any form have been or will be received from a commercial party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this manuscript.
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Steven J. Atlas, MD, General Medicine Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, 50 Staniford Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA; E-mail: [email protected]
