NCQA Report: Quality and Spending Not Linked; Rich and Poor Spilt on Childhood Vaccinations

NCQA Report: Quality and Spending Not Linked; Rich and Poor Spilt on Childhood Vaccinations



Apoorva Stull, Stull@ncqa.org (202) 955-3567



WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Committee for Quality Assurance will release the 2010 edition of The State of Health Care Quality at a news briefing Wednesday, October 13. Subtitled Reform, the Quality Agenda and Resource Use, the report includes NCQA's latest analysis of the American health care system and the implementation of reform policies that can improve quality.





WHAT: The State of Health Care Quality is NCQA’s main, annual analysis of American health care. This year’s report documents two significant divergences in the health care system:



 Health plans that spend the most in care don’t always deliver the best quality



 Vaccination rates are headed in opposite directions for wealthy and poor children





During the briefing, NCQA will discuss ways to address the critical topics of inefficiency, waste and costs, as well as:



 How reform expands coverage and choice



 How public reporting on quality will help consumers choose among plans



 How Medicare Advantage plans with higher quality scores will receive higher payments



 How reform calls for funding new measure development and setting a national quality measurement agenda





WHO: Speakers at the 2010 State of Healthcare Quality news briefing will be:



 Margaret E. O’Kane, NCQA President



 George Halvorson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kaiser Permanente



 Dr. Roberta Herman, Chief Operating Officer, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care



 Dr. Jeffery Kang, Chief Medical Officer, CIGNA Corporation



Dr. Lance Rodewald, MPH, Director of Immunization Services Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention



 Cristie Travis, Chief Executive Officer, Memphis Business Group on Health





WHEN: Wednesday, October 13, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.





WHERE: Barbara Jordan Conference Center



Kaiser Family Foundation



1330 G St. NW



Washington, D.C. 20005





Continental breakfast will be served to all attendees and begins at 8:00 a.m. To RSVP, please contact Apoorva Stull at stull@ncqa.org. For more information, visit www.ncqa.org.



Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2010, NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. 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 for consumers, purchasers, health care providers and researchers.





Apoorva Stull



Communications Manager



NCQA



1100 13th Street, NW



Suite 1000



Washington, DC 20005



Direct: (202) 955-3567



Fax: (202) 955-3599



stull@ncqa.org



www.ncqa.org



Follow us http://twitter.com/ncqa




 















Celebrating 20 years of improving the quality of health care.

Follow NCQA on Twitter: @NCQA.







--------------------------------------------------------------------------------