Management of urethritis in health maintenance organization members receiving care at a multispecialty group practice in Massachusetts.

Background: Cost containment has led to a concern that health maintenance organization-insured patients presenting with complaints of urethritis may be treated without being tested.
Goal: To determine the proportion of men presenting with symptoms of urethritis who are tested for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
Study Design: Reviews were performed on 196 randomly selected patient records with an outpatient visit and a diagnostic code consistent with urethritis between 1995 and 1997. Data were collected on demographics, diagnostic testing, and treatment.
Results: Diagnostic testing for C trachomatis and N gonorrhoeae was performed, respectively, in 92.3% and 83.2% of the men presenting at an initial visit with complaints of urethritis. Altogether, 98.2% of the patients who met the Centers for Disease Control criteria for documenting urethritis were tested for C trachomatis and N gonorrhoeae.
Conclusion: Diagnostic testing for C trachomatis and N gonorrhoeae is nearly universal in this multispecialty group practice setting, facilitating surveillance and public health efforts.