STATEMENT FROM NCQA PRESIDENT MARGARET E. O’KANE ON THE NATIONAL PRIORITIES PARTNERSHIP

WASHINGTON— Margaret E. O’Kane, President of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and co-chair of the National Priorities Partnership, made the following statement regarding the announcement of the six priorities and goals of the National Priorities Partnership.

“NCQA is proud to join a formidable group of 28 partners from both the public and private sectors in committing to take real action to transform the health care system. The Partnership is to be commended for setting bold and far-reaching priorities and creating consensus among all partners that will no doubt pave the way for significant change in America’s health care.

“The way health care is delivered in the United States now stands at a crossroads. We are at one of those rare points in time where Americans aren’t just receptive to change, they are clamoring for it. We owe it to one another to capitalize on this moment to present the case for health care reform. The National Priorities Partnership has effectively set ambitious, yet definitive, areas of improvement that target challenges that are important to every American.”

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA evaluates, 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, protecting the lives of more than 100 million Americans. 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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