Primary Care

NCQA Reports Long-Term Improvement in 46% of Healthcare Quality Measures in Recent Report

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) releases an annual State of Health Care Quality report, which highlights positive and negative growth within the United States healthcare system.

Notable findings from the 2014 Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) include:

  • Over the last 3 to 5 years, 46% of the quality measures report significant, long-term improvement
  • 54% of the American population, or 171 million individuals, are now enrolled in a healthcare plan that shares quality of care results

“That means more Americans than ever can benefit from the accountability that public reporting of quality results brings. Providers, payers, consumers, and others also have more insight into health plan performance than ever before,” according to the NCQA.
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Findings related directly to patient healthcare include:

Overuse and Appropriateness

  • Avoidance of antibiotic treatment in adults with acute bronchitis saw its first significant gain in 7 years
  • Overall antibiotic scores are low
  • Too few Americans receive efficient, effective care or recommended tests and treatments
  • Osteoporosis testing in older women, colorectal cancer screening, and comprehensive diabetes care (blood pressure control, hemoglobin A1c screening, eye exams) were 3 areas with notable improvement
  • Persistence use of beta-blocker treatment after a heart attack has improved
  • Aspirin use and discussion has showed persistent and significant declines
  • Prenatal and postpartum care has dropped
  • Chlamydia screening in women aged 16-20 is on a decline

Behavioral Health

  • More children with ADHD are receiving the treatment they need
  • Mental health and addiction scores, particularly alcohol and drug dependence treatment and follow-up after hospitalization for mental illness, were the weakest
  • Medical assistance with smoking and tobacco use cessation has improved

Overall, “With public and private payers now inexorably focused on quality, and hundreds of millions of dollars being spent to test delivery system reforms that emphasize (among other things) improvement in the patient experience of care, there is good reason to believe that we are headed for a brighter, more sustainable future,” they concluded.

The full report is available from the NCQA.

Reference:

National Committee for Quality Assurance. The State of Health Care Quality Report. www.ncqa.org/ReportCards/HealthPlans/StateofHealthCareQuality.aspx. Accessed May 18, 2015.