Study: Doctor-Led Hospitals Have Highest Quality Ratings

A new Social Science and Medicine study concludes that top-rated hospitals are more likely to be run by medical doctors than by business managers. The research is based on a review of the professional background of 300 leaders of top-ranked U.S. hospitals, as determined by U.S. News & World Report rankings. Overall quality scores were about 25% higher at hospitals run by physicians, compared with the other facilities.

• "Should Hospitals Be Run by Doctors?" (Parker-Pope, "Well," New York Times, 7/7).