Peer review groups enlisted in bioterrorism fight. (Getting Timely Information to Doctors).

WASHINGTON -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is enlisting the aid of peer review organizations to speed the delivery of accurate clinical information on bioterrorism.

"Special Alert" is the insignia of the new rapid distribution network by which PROs will assist the CDC and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in delivering information on bioterrorism directly to health care providers within 1-2 business days of issue, according to Dr. Stephen Jencks, assistant surgeon general, Public Health Service and director of the CMS's quality improvement group.

Dr. William Golden, director of general internal medicine at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, said PROs are becoming the top of an information pyramid that has the attention of providers and the tools, such as email "listservs" and "blast faxes," to provide key information rapidly and concisely.

The PROs will use the distribution network to forward bioterrorism information distinguished as a "CDC Special Alert" or a "CMS Special Alert," depending on the source of the content.

The goal is to rapidly distribute concise and accurate information about bioterrorism that is easily identifiable by the recipient. Any alert that is more than four pages long has to be supplemented by a content source and a one- to two-page summary of key points.

Dave Schulte, executive director of the American Health Quality Association, the professional organization of PROs, called the "Special Alert" system "a great idea." With so much bioterrorism information floating about the country from ...