August 23, 2006

NCQA Applauds Executive Order Promoting Health Care Transparency, Quality

► Read the Executive Order

WASHINGTON—Margaret E. O'Kane, President of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), today issued the following statement regarding the executive order signed by President Bush to promote transparency, quality and the adoption of information technology in health care:

In July, NCQA released a white paper that discusses strategies for giving consumers access to quality and cost information and examines the regulatory landscape. 
 
“President Bush’s Executive Order will benefit consumers by providing useful, understandable information on health care cost and quality. Millions of Medicare beneficiaries and federal employees will be able to make better comparisons among physicians and hospitals—and ultimately, make better health care choices.”

“Additionally, the administration is to be commended for its demonstrated commitment to the increased adoption of health care information technology. The dramatic gains in health care quality at the Veterans Health System over the past several years demonstrate the transformative effects of health care IT on quality.

“The principles set forth in the President’s executive order demonstrate much-needed forward thinking. They show a vision for a health care system that allows for health care decision-making based on value as opposed to cost alone, rewards providers who deliver affordable, quality care, and promotes best clinical practices firmly rooted in medical evidence.

“For the past fifteen years, NCQA has worked with a coalition of stakeholders from across the health care system to promote transparency and accountability in health care quality. We look forward to our continued collaboration with policymakers, employers, consumers, physicians and health plans to adopt similar principles to this executive order in the private sector so that even more Americans can benefit from its promise of better health care quality and value.”

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