November 4, 2005

NCQA Makes Plan-Specific Medicaid Data Available

Quality Compass® File 6 data aids in plan-to-plan comparisons, improvement efforts

WASHINGTON— Nearly 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®. Quality Compass information is used by policymakers, consultants, researchers, health plans and others to conduct health care industry analyses, identify trends in the marketplace and highlight opportunities for improvement. Quality Compass data form the basis of several state and national report cards.

This year’s data indicate that Medicaid plans posted improvements on several key clinical and member satisfaction measures. Rates for childhood and adolescent immunization rates, blood pressure control, colorectal cancer screening and cholesterol management all showed significant increases over last year’s results. Medicaid plans also reported gains in members’ satisfaction with their plan, their doctor and their health care in general. These improvements are the result of concerted quality improvement efforts and educational initiatives of health plans and Medicaid programs.

While aggregate Medicaid results are available in NCQA’s State of Health Care Quality report at www.ncqa.org, plan-specific results are available only in Quality Compass, File 6. The Medicaid results in File 6 also include national Medicaid averages for all HEDIS performance measures.

Users will be able to analyze and compare the performance of 95 Medicaid plans in key clinical and service areas, such as the percentage of women who received a mammography, the percentage of adolescents who received immunizations and the percentage of enrollees who were satisfied with their doctor and the quality of care they received.

Quality Compass, File 6 is available as an electronic data file in Microsoft® Excel or SAS® formats. Quality Compass 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.