NEW NCQA REPORT FOCUSES ON STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE CARE FOR CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE
WASHINGTON — The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), with support from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., has released a report, Insights for Improvement: Advancing COPD Care Through Quality Measurement. The report examines strategies to improve care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung disease that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD is among the most overlooked and undertreated diseases in the United States and the fourth-leading cause of death.
Advancing COPD Care Through Quality Measurement, which is part of the Insights for Improvement series, discusses NCQA’s development of health care measures for patients with COPD. The report focuses on two measures that assess the effectiveness of care for patients who live with COPD: the use of spirometry to appropriately diagnose and assess the condition, and appropriate management of exacerbations, or worsening of symptoms.
“The toll that emphysema, chronic bronchitis and other COPD-related diseases can take on patients and their families can be devastating,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “Timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment can make all the difference to patients in terms of their quality of life.”
NCQA’s performance measures, the most widely used in the health care industry, are based on input from a broad array of health care experts and address key areas of care. NCQA collects data from health plans nationwide annually and uses it as the basis of widely-used reports, rankings and other programs, including NCQA Accreditation.
“The Insights for Improvement series shows that Boehringer Ingelheim continues to be dedicated to improving the lives of people living with serious chronic diseases,” said Jeff Huth, Senior Vice President, Managed Markets, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. “We will continue to collaborate with the NCQA to develop publications in other important areas.”
To order a copy of Insights for Improvement: Advancing COPD Care Through Quality Measurement, visit http://www.ncqa.org/tabid/527/default.aspx.
NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes physicians in key clinical areas. More than 7 in 10 Americans enrolled in health plans are in an NCQA-Accredited plan. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web, media and data licensing agreements in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.
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