April 11, 2005

Pfizer to Support NCQA Effort to Help
Buyers Choose Health Coverage Based on Value

Support will further NCQA’s efforts to measure, report on value;
Quality Plus, HEDIS® among related efforts

WASHINGTON—The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) announced today that Pfizer Inc, a longtime supporter of NCQA and its mission to improve health care quality, will provide significant support in 2005 for the organization’s efforts to help expand its assessment of health care quality by establishing value as a key factor in employers’ health care contracting choices.

“Without reliable information, it’s hard for purchasers and consumers to understand the true value of the care and service plans and providers deliver,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “We appreciate Pfizer’s support of our efforts to develop and disseminate better information in order to help Americans make smart decisions and spend their health care dollars wisely.”

Over the past few years, as health care costs have increased, new forms of coverage have emerged that call on purchasers and patients to take a greater role in health care decision-making. While information on price alone is often available, little data exists that allows employers and consumers to weigh both cost and quality when making health care decisions. Pfizer’s support will help NCQA disseminate such information about value to purchasers, providers and patients alike.

"As health care purchasers and consumers take a more active role in choosing the health care that is right for them, we have to build better decision-making support into the system to help them make the best choices," said Pat Kelly, President, U.S. Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Inc. "Generating data on value is essential to that effort; without it, people and organizations can’t find the best care, they can’t ensure quality, and they can’t protect their own pocketbooks.”

Pfizer’s support will enable NCQA to continue the development of its new “Quality Plus” program, which closely examines value. The program is designed to highlight health plans that have programs and/or engage in member communications, care management and other activities that have been shown to improve care, control costs and increase member satisfaction. The first set of standards in the program, Member Connections, focuses on how well a plan uses technology to provide its members with interactive health tools and information about pharmacy benefits, claims and health improvement. With Pfizer’s support, NCQA will be able to expand educational outreach efforts that focus on the new Quality Plus standards.

NCQA’s continuing efforts to measure value in health care also include two measures added to the Health Care Employer Data Information Set (HEDIS®) in 2004. Appropriate Testing for Children with Pharyngitis and Appropriate Treatment for Children with an Upper Respiratory Infection measure the frequency with which antibiotics are appropriately prescribed. Overuse of antibiotics is a serious issue in the U.S., leading to drug-resistant bacteria and an estimated $2.1 billion in avoidable medical costs in 2003.

For more information on NCQA’s efforts to promote value in the delivery of health care, visit the organization’s Web site at www.ncqa.org.

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 HEDISâ, the tool the nation’s health plans use to measure and report on their performance. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web, media and data licensing agreements in order to help consumers, employers, state and federal agencies and others make more informed health care choices.

Pfizer Inc is the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical company, providing a broad range of human and animal pharmaceuticals, as well as consumer products. With 120,000 employees worldwide, Pfizer is also deeply engaged in the global community, donating hundreds of millions of dollars of medicines to treat AIDS patients in Africa, to eliminate blinding trachoma in the developing world and to expand drug access in the United States.