NCQA-RECOGNIZED CLINICIANS TOP 15,000 MARK
800% Surge in Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognitions Fuels Rise
The National Committee for Quality Assurance passed a major milestone in January by awarding its 15,000th clinician Recognition.
Explosive growth in the number of Physician Practice Connections—Patient-Centered Medical Home (PPC-PCMH™) drove the increase. Through its PPC-PCHM program, NCQA Recognizes almost 2,000 physicians at 383 practices. That figure compares to 214 physicians at 28 practices at the end of 2008, the year the PPC-PCMH program debuted.
“The growth of Recognition programs shows clinicians are serious about measuring performance and improving the quality of care they deliver,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “That’s great news for patients. Measurement fuels quality improvement. Higher quality means patients are receiving proven care in the right amount at the right time.”
Recognition is the term NCQA uses to denote clinicians and practices that meet NCQA’s rigorous, evidence-based standards of care. NCQA has five Recognition programs:
- Physician Practice Connections (PPC)
- Physician Practice Connections-Patient-Centered Medical Home (PPC-PCMH)
- Heart/Stroke Recognition Program (HSRP)
- Diabetes Recognition Program (DRP)• Back Pain Recognition Program (BPRP)
More information about Recognition programs is available at http://www.ncqa.org/tabid/74/Default.aspx.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2010, NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. 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 informed health care choices.
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