Arthritis Relief, Treatment, Senior Citizens

Arthritis Pain Relief Home | About Us | Tell A Friend





NCQA Releases HEDIS(r) 2005 Draft for Public Comment; Proposed Measures Focus on Back Pain, Glaucoma, Arthritis, Other Issues; Comments Accepted through March 19

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has released for public comment a draft of HEDIS 2005, the tool used by the nation's health care organizations to measure their performance.

The latest version of the Health Plan Employer Data and Information set (HEDIS) proposes the addition of five new measures that will assess the quality of care and physician advice related to common health issues that are relevant to tens of millions of Americans. Among the issues targeted for monitoring and improvement are back pain, physical activity in older adults, and long term treatment of heart attack victims. Interested parties are encouraged to comment on the draft through March 19.

Specifically the new measures proposed for 2005 are:

-- Persistence of Beta Blocker Treatment After A Heart Attack

-- Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drug (DMARD) Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis

-- Use of Imaging Studies in Low Back Pain

-- Glaucoma Screening in Older Adults

-- Physical Activity in Older Adults

With the release of the '05 draft, NCQA is also soliciting comments on its proposal to retire a number of utilization measures. The measures proposed for retirement are: Discharges and Average Length of Stay (Maternity Care); Cesarean Section Rate; Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Section Rate; Births and Average Length of Stay (Newborns). NCQA also proposes retiring the Management of Menopause Survey. For many of these measures, no useful definition of "good" performance exists making the effort of gathering related data of questionable value.

Relevant sections of the HEDIS 2005 draft can be downloaded from NCQA's Web site at http://www.ncqa.org/Programs/HEDIS/HEDIS2004PubComment.htm.

Comments should be submitted online to hediscomment@ncqa.org.

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations, recognizes physicians and physician groups in key clinical areas and manages the evolution of HEDIS(tm), the tool the nation's health plans use to measure and report on their performance. 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.


About the author:

Press Release




Free Yourself of the Swelling, Stiffness and Pain, and Live Your Life 150% Better by Banishing Your Arthritis in Just One Month!


Arthritis Free For Life


Read More...






Arthritis News

Rheumatoid Arthritis Severity Reduced By Alcohol - Wed, 28 Jul 2010 04:00:00 PDT
Drinking alcohol may reduce the severity of rheumatoid arthritis according to new research justg published. It is the first time that this effect has been shown in humans. The study also finds that alcohol consumption reduces the risk of developing the disease, confirming the results of previous studies...

Adherence To Recommended Exercise Improves Physical Function, Reduces Pain For OA Patients - Wed, 28 Jul 2010 02:00:00 PDT
Patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee or hip who adhere to the recommended home physical therapy exercises and physically active lifestyle experience more improvement in pain, physical function, and self-perceived effect according to a study from researchers in The Netherlands...

Horizon Pharma, Inc. Announces Results Of Phase 3 Study Of LODOTRA® Demonstrate 12-Month Sustained Efficacy And Safety In Rheumatoid Arthritis - Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:00:00 PDT
Horizon Pharma, Inc...




Arthritis Pain Relief Home | Arthritis Directory | Site Map | Privacy Statement
AddThis Social Bookmark Button
© 2005 ArthritisReliefHelp.info | Arthritis Pain Relief