Focus groups were held with three different groups of practicing family physician representing both rural and urban practices to ensure the sixteen potential indicators were acceptable to them.

The participants received a list of the indicators with a brief explanation of its intended use. After independent review by each physician, researchers facilitated a group discussion to address any concerns about indicator relevance in physician practice and indicator validity. Some indicator definitions were modified as a result of feedback.

We then explored the feasibility of measuring these indicators; we determined if benchmarks were available for comparison and whether we could capture the necessary data.

The indicators were categorized as either preventative services or chronic disease management.