Measuring Quality
In recent years, more consumers, payors and providers have turned to quality reporting to help improve services, make informed decisions, and assess the value of healthcare.
At Harvard Vanguard, knowing the expectations of our patients and payors is critical to our patient centered care philosophy. “Healthcare is becoming more transparent in terms of quality, perception of care, and soon, costs,” says Richard Marshall, MD, Chief Medical Officer. “It may make us uncomfortable to compare ourselves with others in a very public way, but we need to adapt to living with the reality of this kind of reporting as it will help us achieve our goal of delivering the highest quality care.”
MHQP Releases New and Expanded Data in 2006
MHQP works to provide valid, statewide physician comparative performance information on quality measures to providers and consumers.
In 2005, it released the first state-wide, large physician-network, quality performance report based on the national HEDIS (Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set) quality measurements. HEDIS rates physician performance in key areas of preventive and chronic care management, such as cancer, heart disease, smoking, asthma and diabetes.
As a network, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates came out on top, rating first in seven of HEDIS’ 16 quality measures — more than any other of the nine networks whose data was publicly reported.
In its latest report, due out in January 2006, MHQP expanded its scope to include patient experience data for the first time. It utilized a survey tool largely based upon the ACES (Ambulatory Care Experience Survey) tool that Harvard Vanguard has used internally since 2004 to develop our patient centered care priorities. ACES looks at a number of areas including physician/patient communication, knowledge of patient’s health history, access to own physician and patient willingness to recommend.
For more information on the MHQP survey, visit their website.