A study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) indicates that medical care for Medicare beneficiaries has improved significantly since 1998. The study, conducted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, compares current quality of care conditions with those found in the first study conducted in 1998-99 to establish a baseline of health care quality.
The original study of twenty-two health care measures related to primary prevention, secondary prevention, and/or treatment of six medical conditions, found that the typical beneficiary had a 69% chance of receiving care that was appropriate on the typical measure; in 2000-2001 that chance had risen to 73%. Data from the study for individual states as well as for the entire United States indicates that in 2000-2001 beneficiaries in some states were consistently more likely than those in other states to receive the vital services.
Quality indicators for inpatient care, such as whether a patient with pneumonia received prompt treatment, and office-based care, such as whether a diabetic patient received appropriate care, is also in the study. Nine out of ten measures recently endorsed by hospital associations for voluntary public reporting are included. The Medicare Quality Improvement Organizations Program, whose mission is to improve care for Medicare beneficiaries, collected the data for the study.
Ohio KePRO, reported a 16% improvement for Ohio beneficiaries, has been working under contract with the CMS since August of 1999 on national projects to help providers and physicians adopt recommended practices and develop systems of care to improve quality of treatment for heart attacks, heart failure, stroke, pneumonia, diabetes, and breast cancer, and pneumonia and flu. Information collected from area healthcare institutions, including AMC/NOMA, will continue to provide further information for CMS.
Specific information regarding KePRO and JAMA
study statistics may be found at,
www.ohiokeproinc.com (click on Media, News
Releases, JAMA Study)
To review more specific information about the study, you
may visit the CMS Web-site at, http://www.cms.gov/media/press/release.asp?Counter=696