| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 9, 2006
Contact: Richard Deutsch
Phone: 202-261-7573
National Healthcare Quality Report Shows Faster Improvement Where QIOs Target Efforts
Study Looks At Effectiveness Improving Care
Washington,
DC – The 2005 National Health Quality Report,
released today by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality (AHRQ), shows effectiveness of care improving most quickly
for diabetes, heart disease, respiratory conditions, nursing home
care, and maternal and child health. All but one of these areas
is the target of intensive efforts by the nation’s network
of Quality Improvement Organizations, which work under contract
to Medicare.
AHRQ
annually evaluates effectiveness of care by measuring the use
of best practices and outcomes for treating widespread illnesses
and conditions. This year’s quality report finds “modest” overall
improvement in care, but notes much more rapid improvement in several
areas.
“In many areas, we know the specific treatment steps and
procedures that are needed to improve quality,” said AHRQ
Director Carolyn Clancy, who today also released AHRQ’s annual
report on disparities in quality of care. “These reports
indicate that when we focus on those best practices, we can make
rapid improvement, especially when results are publicly reported,” she
said.
The
spread and implementation of best practices is at the heart of
QIO program initiatives, an effort that today’s NHQR report
shows is paying off.
The
AHRQ quality report looks at 44 key measures of effectiveness
and finds that: “Medicare’s QIO measures for heart
disease and pneumonia showed a combined rate of improvement (9.2%)
that was four times the combined rate for all the other measures
(2.5%)”—illustrated in the attached chart from the
report.
“This report presents clear evidence of the value of Medicare’s
investment in the QIO program,” said AHQA Executive Vice
President, David Schulke. “It makes the case for even greater
targeted assistance for implementing best practices.”
Looking
at care for heart attacks, the report points out that there is
a consensus that recommended care includes administration of
aspirin within 24 hours of heart attack and at discharge, beta-blocker
within 24 hours of attack and at discharge, ACE inhibitor treatment
among patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction, and
counseling to quit smoking among smokers—all areas of QIO
efforts to implement best practices.
The NHQR looks at improvement on these measures, as well as a
composite which addresses the overall rate at which heart attack
patients receive recommended care.
 Improvement
rate for QIO measures versus non-QIO
Measures
Source:
2005 National Healthcare Quality Report
|
For
the composite of these measures, the report shows “significant
improvement in the provision of recommended care for Medicare
patients with heart attacks from 77.2% of the opportunities
to provide recommended care in 2000-2001 to 82.1% in 2003.”
These
results are consistent with a recent report in the Journal
of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) showing that
heart attack death rates dropped significantly in hospitals that
participated in a quality improvement process with a QIO. The
study reported that thirty three hospitals reduced patient heart
attack mortality by 21% to 26%, working with the American College
of Cardiology, the Michigan QIO, and supported by a local business
coalition. (Source: Guideline-based Standardized Care is Associated
with Substantially Lower Mortality in Medicare Patients with
Acute Myocardial Infarction. JACC. October 4, 2005 ). For
pneumonia, today’s AHRQ quality report finds that “the
overall composite measure shows significant improvement in the provision
of recommended care for Medicare patients”—from 54% of
the time in 2002 to 59% in 2003—a cut of more than 10% in the
failure rate over the course of a year for providing appropriate
care.
The American Health Quality Association represents the national network of Quality Improvement Organizations that work with hospitals, medical practices, health plans, long-term care facilities, home health agencies, and employers to encourage adoption of best practices and improve systems of care. |
