November 9, 2004
NCQA OFFERS PERFORMANCE DATA ON 100 MEDICAID HMOs; SURGE IN PARTICIPATION BODES WELL FOR BENEFICIARIES
Comparative, plan-specific data available for analysis, improvement activities
WASHINGTON— One hundred Medicaid HMOs this year provided NCQA with clinical HEDIS results and CAHPS satisfaction data to be included in a special, Medicaid-only addition to NCQA’s health care information database, Quality Compass. The 25 percent surge in participation (80 plans participated in 2003) bodes well for Medicaid beneficiaries – health plans that publicly report their performance data tend to outperform and improve faster than those that don’t.
Medicaid plans recorded notable improvements in several areas. Measures related to cardiac care, diabetes, hypertension and childhood immunizations all rose 3-5 percentage points as compared to the previous year’s rates. Such improvements reflect the educational initiatives and process improvements of various Medicaid programs and health plans. Selected Medicaid results are available in NCQA’s State of Health Care Quality report; plan specific results are available only in Quality Compass, File 6.
Quality Compass information is used by state agencies, consultants, researchers, health plans and others to analyze industry trends, identify opportunities for improvement or conduct market analyses. Quality Compass data are used as the basis for numerous state and national report cards.
The 2004 Medicaid results in File 6 also include national and regional Medicaid averages for all HEDIS performance measures. Users will be able to analyze and compare performance in key clinical and service areas, such as the percentage of women who received regular prenatal and postpartum care, the percentage of adolescents who received immunizations and the percentage of enrollees who were satisfied with the quality of health care they received.
Quality Compass, File 6 is available as an electronic data file in Microsoft® Excel or SAS® formats. The Quality Compass® 2004 electronic data files can be ordered online through NCQA’s Web site, www.ncqa.org, or by calling (888) 275-7585.
NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and manages the evolution of HEDIS, the tool the nation’s health plans use to measure and report on their performance. NCQA provides health care quality information free of charge through the Web and media in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.
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