DATA FROM 115 MEDICAID HEALTH PLANS ADDED TO
NCQA’S QUALITY COMPASS® 2008
New features allow users to track two years of performance data
WASHINGTON—The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has released updated data on the performance of 115 Medicaid managed care plan submissions as part of its online, interactive Quality Compass tool. The data demonstrate the quality of care delivered to members of Medicaid plans in key areas of clinical quality, access and service, care for chronic conditions, timely access to health care and consumer satisfaction. Data for 410 commercial health plans was released in Quality Compass in July.
Quality Compass contains information drawn from audited data reported to NCQA through its Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) and the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®). For the first time, users can trend two years of such data at the health plan level. This added functionality allows customers to review plan performance over time rather than as a single year snapshot. The update also includes new data from measures of clinical and service quality such as the appropriate use of imaging studies for low back pain, blood pressure control for people with diabetes and the use of antibiotics.
NCQA’s Quality Compass, the industry’s most comprehensive database of health plan performance, provides information about clinical quality for 525 commercial and Medicaid health plans. A broad cross-section of health plan leaders, policymakers, consultants, regulators and others regularly refer to Quality Compass to make benefits decisions, analyze industry and identify opportunities for improvement. Quality Compass data also form the basis of several state and national report cards.
Aggregate Medicaid results are now available in NCQA’s State of Health Care Quality report online at www.ncqa.org/sohc. Plan-specific data are available only through Quality Compass. Medicaid results also include national averages and benchmarks for all HEDIS performance measures.
Quality Compass user licenses—or expansion of current licenses to include Medicaid quality data—can be ordered online through NCQA’s Web site 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 recognizes physicians in key clinical areas. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. 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 care choices.
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Quality Compass® and HEDIS® are registered trademarks of NCQA. CAHPS® is a registered trademark of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. All rights reserved.