Clinical Practice Intensity: Comparing Veterans Affairs (VA) to Private Sector Physicians
Recruitment status was Active, not recruiting
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Purpose
This is a national physician mail survey examining primary care practice patterns. The experimental component of the study (the clinical trial) is a randomized trial of different monetary incentive forms and amounts for physicians invited to participate in the study. Only non-VA physicians will be included in this part of the study. (VA physicians are not allowed to receive monetary incentives.) Physicians will be randomized to receive one of four incentives: $20 cash, $50 cash, a $50 check, or a $100 check. The main outcome measure is the response rate.
| Condition | Intervention |
|---|---|
|
Physician Survey Response Rates |
Other: $20 cash Other: $50 cash Other: $50 check Other: $100 check |
| Study Type: | Interventional |
| Study Design: | Allocation: Randomized Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment Masking: Open Label Primary Purpose: Health Services Research |
| Official Title: | Clinical Practice Intensity: Comparing VA to Private Sector Physicians |
- Survey response rate [ Time Frame: 2 weeks, 2 months (primary), and 6 months after initial mailing ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Item non-response rates [ Time Frame: 2 weeks, 2 months (primary), and 6 months after initial mailing ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
| Estimated Enrollment: | 1000 |
| Study Start Date: | June 2009 |
| Estimated Study Completion Date: | December 2010 |
| Primary Completion Date: | June 2010 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure) |
| Arms | Assigned Interventions |
|---|---|
| Experimental: $20 Cash |
Other: $20 cash
$20 cash incentive mailed with survey
|
| Experimental: $50 Cash |
Other: $50 cash
$50 cash incentive mailed with survey
|
| Experimental: $50 Check |
Other: $50 check
$50 check incentive mailed with survey
|
| Experimental: $100 Check |
Other: $100 check
$100 check incentive mailed with survey
|
Detailed Description:
This primary care physician survey is being conducted by Harris Interactive, an international survey research firm working collaboratively under contract to VA investigators heading the study. Surveys will be mailed to a random sample of 1000 non-VA primary care general internists practicing 20 or more clinical hours per week, identified via the Physician Masterfile of the American Medical Association.
The initial survey mailing, delivered via USPS Priority Mail, will include a cover letter inviting the physician to participate, a 12-page survey booklet (including a cover page, a 9-page survey, and 2 blank pages), a monetary incentive, and a prepaid addressed return envelope. The survey is estimated to take 20 minutes to complete. All survey recipients will also have the opportunity, as part of the survey, to request information about practice patterns in their community. Harris Interactive will randomly assign all invited (non-VA) physicians to receive one of four incentives, included in the initial survey mailing:
$20 cash
$50 cash
$50 check
$100 check
Non-responders will be contacted two additional times (at approximately 2 and 4 weeks following the initial mailing) by telephone and by mail. Subsequent mailings will include the survey, a cover letter, and a stamped addressed return envelope, but no monetary incentive.
Response rates will be compared between the four arms of the trial; between check v. cash; and between different denominations.
Eligibility| Genders Eligible for Study: | Both |
| Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Primary care general internists in the United States, identified through the AMA Physician Masterfile, who practice at least 20 hours per week are eligible to participate.
- All physicians included in the sample to whom the survey packets are mailed will be included in the analysis of the incentive experiment, except those for whom a survey packet is returned as undeliverable and those non-respondents identified through follow-up procedures as non-locatable, deceased, or retired.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Physicians self-identified in the AMA Masterfile as medical subspecialists or hospitalists are excluded from the sample.
Contacts and LocationsPlease refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00853918
| United States, Vermont | |
| VA Medical Center | |
| White River Junction, Vermont, United States, 05009 | |
| Principal Investigator: | Brenda E Sirovich, MD, MS | Department of Veterans Affairs |
More Information
No publications provided by White River Junction VAMC
Additional publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
| Responsible Party: | Brenda Sirovich, MD MS, Staff Physician and Research Associate, VA Medical Center |
| ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00853918 History of Changes |
| Other Study ID Numbers: | DMS-17632, VA HSR&D IIR 03-242 |
| Study First Received: | February 27, 2009 |
| Last Updated: | June 4, 2010 |
| Health Authority: | United States: Federal Government |
Keywords provided by White River Junction VAMC:
|
Physician survey Mail survey Response rate |
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on February 27, 2015