11.   Hypertensive patients treated by nurse practitioners saw greater reductions in diastolic blood pressure than patients in the doctor group.

12.   Hospital companies, along with doctor groups, home-health-care companies and HMOs, have been banking on that enthusiasm by selling more stock and bonds.

13.   Its doctors groups have not made decisions about whether to stay in the program.

14.   Like the HMOs themselves, these doctor groups aim to wring out inefficiencies in caring for patients while improving the quality of treatment.

15.   MEDSTAT was contracted and funded by a coalition of HMOs, employers and doctor groups, calling itself the California Cooperative HEDIS Reporting Initiative.

16.   Milby, of Baptist health system, says that some of its earlier troubles may have come from warring doctors groups reporting the hospital to regulators.

17.   Now the doctors group is considering endorsing laws requiring helmets, but some ski groups urge caution.

18.   Patrick McInerney, a lawyer representing the doctors group, said physicians now were searching among their patients for anyone who might have been affected.

19.   Patrick McInerney is a lawyer representing Kansas City Internal Medicine, a doctors group that was hit hard by the dilution scheme.

20.   Physician practice management companies negotiate with HMOs on behalf of doctor groups, and handle administrative and billing activities for them.