QUALITY OF CARE FOR 2 COMMON ILLNESSES IN TEACHING AND NONTEACHING HOSPITALS

Teaching hospitals are recognized for treating rare diseases, but thei r value in caring for common illnesses is less clear. To assess qualif y of care for congestive heart failure and pneumonia, we reviewed the medical records of Medicare beneficiaries in major teaching, other tea ching, and nonteaching hospitals in four states. Overall quality was r ated better in major and other teaching hospitals than in nonteaching hospitals by physician reviewers and explicit process criteria, but th e results varied for different subsets of explicit measures. Future st udies should assess whether outcomes differ between teaching and nonte aching hospitals.