high incidence of heart disease, diabetes and depression, yet have minimal of three diseasesdepression, diabetes and cardiovascular diseasein the …
EMBARGOED UNTIL 11:00am CONTACT: Chris Holben, 916 761-
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October 18, 2007 Sonja Brown, 916 396-
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Health Care Quality Scores Unveiled by Californias Office of the Patient
Advocate
Health Care Quality Report Card Rates HMOs and Medical Groups Across
California, Complements Governors Health Care Reform Plan and
Offers Tool to Make Health Care Decisions
SACRAMENTO, Calif - For millions of Californians, the deciding factor
in choosing a health plan is cost But the quality of HMOs and medical
groups - literally what could make the difference between life and death -
for many people often is a guessing game
Unless they have a report card
The State of Californias Office of the Patient Advocate OPA has
released its seventh annual Health Care Quality Report Card with ratings of
HMOs and medical groups that serve almost half of all Californians
Available for free in English, Spanish,
Chinese Vietnamese and Korean, the
Report Card can be found online at wwwHealthCareQualitycagov, or by
contacting OPA toll free at 1-866-466-8900 to receive a printed copy by
mail
The release coincides with Governor Arnold Schwarzeneggers call to
deliver affordable health care to all Californians The Report Card will
play an important role in fulfilling the Governors goal of increased
performance transparency to both promote improvements in health care
quality and cost and to help consumers in making their health care
decisions In turn, consumers will be better equipped to advocate for
themselves and to spur even greater advances in the quality of care and
service The Report Card is an important tool for consumers, especially
given Governor Schwarzeneggers commitment to reform health care to ensure
that all Californians are insured, that health care is more affordable and
that consumers are provided with easy access to the information needed to
make informed decisions regarding their insurance and health care needs,
said California Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Belshé
This years report makes it clear that HMO performance could be
better For example, a large
- more -
Health Care Quality Report Card Release
October 18, 2007
2-2-2-2-2
number of the more than a half million California HMO enrollees with
diabetes, are not getting care that meets national standards One out of
four members with diabetes have poor blood sugar control - a condition that
can lead to amputation, kidney failure and other complications More
alarming yet, almost two of four members do not have their cholesterol
under control, which is a leading cause of heart disease and death for
people with diabetes
As noted in the Report Card, fewer than 40 of obese patients reported
being counseled about diet or exercise by their physician Diabetes
patients have mortality rates two to three times higher than patients
without diabetes and obesity often is a factor in the onset of the disease
In addition, diabetes is the leading cause of blindness; the Report
Card reveals that 40 of HMO enrollees with diabetes were not screened for
retinal disease in the past year
On a positive note, Asthma care saw the best scores - upwards of nine
of ten patients were prescribed the right medications for their asthma
The Report Card
ratings were based on information gathered on
thousands of HMO and medical group members throughout the state and include
the overall quality of patient care, as well as the care for an array of
medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and asthma
Health plans are rated on more than 30 markers about patients getting the
right care The Report Card even rates how quickly phones are answered and
the time it takes to get an appointment with your doctor This Report
Card is one tool that can help consumers make decisions on which HMOs and
medical groups provide the best overall health care for themselves and
their families Given our complicated and complex health care system, it is
vital that California consumers get this information to help them make good
health care decisions, said Office of the Patient Advocate Director Sandra
Perez
Available online to anyone, the Health Care Quality Report Card
wwwHealthCareQualitycagov instantly displays the best and worst HMO
and medical group performers across California Walgreens and Leader
pharmacies and many local libraries are also stocking summary print copies
In addition to publishing the Report Card, the OPA
conducts education
programs to inform consumers about their rights and responsibilities as HMO
enrollees And, OPA works closely with health plans and state agencies,
such as the Department of Managed Health Care, to work to improve health
care quality and service for Californians
Source:obgyn.net
