Manitoba barium enema efficacy study.

Claims analysis and efficacy study are two new methods of evaluating medical services. In Manitoba, with a 1974 population of 1,053,382, approximately 100,000 patient-physician interfaces resulted in 16,594 barium enema examinations; 1,000 significant abnormalities were discovered, and the referring physician was unusally perceptive in predicting the likelihood of these abnormalities. It is estimated that a 10% reduction in the use of barium enemas could be achieved by referring physicians with no deterioration in the care of patients.