Childhood immunization rates and quality of diabetes care show greatest
gains
Web site improvements help consumers compare provider group performance
ST. PAUL, Minn., Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The overall quality of health
care in Minnesota and border communities continues to improve but there is
still wide variation in the performance of individual provider groups,
according to annual quality ratings released today by MN Community
Measurement, a St. Paul- based nonprofit group dedicated to improving
health care quality.
MN Community Measurement's performance ratings for care delivered
during 2005 by nearly all of the health systems that serve Minnesotans are
available today at http://www.mnhealthcare.org . A PDF of the full written
report can be downloaded from the site beginning Nov. 15.
Improvement in diabetes care
As a whole, Minnesota health care systems showed significant
improvement in helping people with diabetes attain improved blood sugar
levels and other measures of diabetes control that are proven to reduce the
incidence of complications, which include heart disease, strokes, blindness
and amputations. The percentage of patients whose diabetes was found to be
in optimal control according to medical guidelines increased from 6%
reported in 2005 to 9% reported in 2006.
For a provider group to receive credit for the optimal diabetes
composite measure, the sampled patient must have received all recommended
screening exams and achieved very tight blood sugar, cholesterol and blood
pressure control. If any of the individual measures did not meet the
target, credit was not given for the composite measure. MN Community
Measurement also saw increases for 2006 on all the individual measures of
diabetes control.
"We are very encouraged by these results. Even small gains in diabetes
care will have a big impact for patients because the complications we're
preventing are so devastating," said Jim Chase, executive director of MN
Community Measurement. "Because diabetes requires so much self-management
through diet, exercise and other lifestyle choices, our findings also show
that patients are doing a better job -- both on their own and working with
their doctors -- to keep the disease under control."
Improvements in childhood immunizations
MN Community Measurement also found that providers were more successful
in delivering all of the childhood immunizations that are recommended
before age two, observing an increase from 68% to 78%. The results also
found that the rate of well-child visits completed before age 15 months --
medical appointments during which most childhood immunizations are
delivered -- dropped from 80% to 76%.
"We'll be working with providers to understand what might have caused
this rate to drop, because it's puzzling to see the immunization rate jump
dramatically and the well-child visit rate dip," said Chase. "We would
expect to see these two measures moving in the same direction, but this
year's result may be an indication that some providers have found a way to
efficiently deliver all the required immunizations and early childhood
preventive care in fewer than the recommended five visits."
Variation in provider group performance
MN Community Measurement's 2006 quality ratings also demonstrate wide
variation in the performance of medical groups. For example, on two new
measures, the rates observed for medical groups ranged from 34% to 81% for
colorectal cancer screening and from 29% to 65% on a composite measure for
breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening. In addition to improving
community-wide performance, a goal of MN Community Measurement is to
increase the uniformity of health care quality.
"Although Minnesota is regarded on many national report cards as one of
the healthiest states in the nation, we continue to see a wide gap between
the top-performing provider group and the lowest-performing provider group
on most measures. The top-performing providers on any given measure are
doing an excellent job, but improvements by the lower-scoring groups would
result in large gains in overall quality across the state," said Sanne
Magnan, MD, PhD, a member of MN Community Measurement's board and president
of the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, an organization that
works with provider groups on care guidelines and quality improvement.
"A low rating on a publicly-reported quality measure provides an
incentive for that health care provider to examine its care delivery system
and make improvements that bring its score up dramatically. After three
years of reporting, we've seen several provider groups do just that,"
Magnan added.
Consumers encouraged to view quality ratings online
Because provider group performance varies widely, consumers are
encouraged to visit MN Community Measurement's Web site (
http://www.mnhealthcare.org ) to check results for health systems in their
area.
"The quality ratings can help you choose a provider group with a good
track record for taking care of patients with similar health concerns. The
ratings also provide a good foundation for talking with your physician
about making sure your care is the best it can be," said Chase. "By sharing
your awareness of the quality ratings, you can reinforce the importance of
continuous quality improvement to your provider, which will help to spur
the medical community along this challenging path."
Many Minnesota employers encourage their employees to review health
care quality ratings during benefits open enrollment. The Department of
Employee Relations is beginning its open enrollment period for more than
50,000 State of Minnesota employees today and has included links to MN
Community Measurement's ratings in its online provider network directory.
"The State of Minnesota's health benefits plan, like those of many
employers, requires our employees to pre-select a health care provider. We
want our employees to consider quality of care in their selection process,
and the ratings on http://www.mnhealthcare.org are a reliable, objective
source of this information," said Matt Kramer, commissioner of the state
Department of Employee Relations.
Web-site improvements cater to consumers
Visitors to http://www.mnhealthcare.org can search for quality ratings
by provider group, quality measure or geographic area. The site also has
been improved with more information on the diseases and preventive care
services that are measured, plus an overview of the doctor's role and the
patient's role in caring for the patient's condition. Ratings are now
organized into categories -- Living with Illness, Getting Better, and
Staying Healthy. "These categories are more consumer-friendly and hopefully
will engage consumers in exploring the data for their own health
improvement," said Magnan.
There is also a site tour with tips for viewing the online results.
Information about requesting a speaker from MN Community Measurement for
community groups and events, as well as information for employers about how
to promote the quality ratings to employees, is also available on the site.
About MN Community Measurement
MN Community Measurement is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
improving the quality of health care in Minnesota by publicly reporting
quality results. Founded by Minnesota's health plans and the Minnesota
Medical Association, MN Community Measurement is a collaborative that works
with health plans, clinics, employers and consumers to spur quality
improvement.
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