NCQA RECOGNIZES LEADERSHIP, INNOVATION IN HEALTH CARE QUALITY

Awards to be presented March 15th

WASHINGTON — A United States Senator, a Governor, a physician-advocate and an innovative collaborative between not-for-profit health organizations and a children’s television network have been named recipients of the nation’s most prestigious health care quality awards by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).  The awards will be presented on Thursday, March 15, 2007 at a special awards ceremony and dinner in Washington, D.C.

“Each of our winners is being recognized for turning their commitment and dedication into action that has helped health care achieve its fundamental purpose; to improve health,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “Encouraging children to stay physically active, providing access to vaccines that prevent disease, building models for chronic care and aligning our payment systems to reward evidence-based medicine are just some of the ways that health care is being transformed by the actions of these leaders.”

The 2007 NCQA Quality Award recipients are:

• Senator Chuck Grassley, a longtime champion in the U.S. Senate of health care quality measurement and value-based purchasing. The Iowa Republican was also lead sponsor of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, which brought a much-needed prescription drug benefit to millions of seniors.
• Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, who has made improving the health of Kansans one of her top priorities in office.  Since her election in 2002 as the first Democrat to serve as governor of her state in 16 years, Sebelius has raised childhood immunization rates and launched the “Healthy Kansas” campaign to inspire her constituents to adopt healthier behaviors.
• Edward H. Wagner, M.D., M.P.H., Director of The MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation at Group Health Cooperative in Seattle.  Dr. Wagner’s “Improving Chronic Illness Care” initiative is dedicated to the idea that we can do a much better job ensuring that the 133 million Americans suffering from chronic conditions can lead healthier lives. His model of care for those with chronic conditions has been adopted by many of the nation’s best health plans and medical practices.  
• The Let’s Just Play Go Healthy Challenge, a remarkable collaboration of the American Heart Association, the William J. Clinton Foundation and Nickelodeon to combat the epidemic of obesity in America’s children. To help children learn better habits, the Challenge is following four kids on their quest to eat better, play harder and feel better. A highlight of the Challenge came on Sept. 30, 2006, when Nickelodeon sponsored its third annual Worldwide Day of Play when, among other things, the network went off the air and urged kids to go play.

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality.  NCQA is the nation’s leading developer of health care evaluation tools including health plan accreditation, physician recognition and organization certification. NCQA also is responsible for the evolution of HEDIS®, the most widely used set of health care performance measures.  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 more informed health choices. For more information, visit www.ncqa.org.

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