Ask the expert: Is peer review of individual cases considered perception data?

Although peer review may appear to be a subjective process—and therefore classified as perception data—it is not. Because case review is retrospective, the peer review committee does not actually observe the actions or behavior of the physician under review. Whether the peer reviewer bases his or her decision regarding the care on objective clinical standards or by a consensus of subjective standards, he or she conducts the evaluation using secondary information.

This week’s question and answer are from Measuring Physician Competence: How to Collect, Assess, and Provide Performance Data by Robert Marder, MD; Mark Smith, MD; Marla Smith, MHSA; and Vicky Searcy, CPMSM.