Medex and their physician preceptors. Quality of care.

Studies of selected indicators of the process of care provided by a Medex and by a physician preceptor in seven rural practices suggest that the Medex is more likely to use appropriate laboratory tests and less likely to use inappropriate treatments. When outcomes of care were determined in 13 practices with a Medex and a preceptor, the patients seen by the Medex tended to fare about as well as those seen by a physician (71% versus 74%, respectively) in regaining their usual functional status. The addition of a Medex to a rural practice may thus produce both direct and indirected benefits.