American Healthways Announces Participation in NCQA's Disease Management Accreditation Program.Health/Medical Writers NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BW HealthWire)--Dec. 4, 2001 Company's Decision to be One of First Reviewed Reflects Commitment to Quality Programs and Outcomes American Healthways (Nasdaq: AMHC AMHC Association of Mental Health Clergy AMHC Aviation Structural Mechanic Hydraulics Chief ) today announced it will be among the first 18 organizations to seek National Committee for Quality Assurance National Committee for Quality Assurance Medical practice A private, not-for-profit organization which has become the leading accreditor of managed care plans; in site visits, NCQA reviewers evaluate a managed care plan in terms of quality management, physicians' (NCQA NCQA National Committee on Quality Assurance, see there ) Disease Management Accreditation. The commitment to be one of the first organizations through the new program represents the culmination of more than a year's effort on the part of AMHC representatives who have been working with NCQA as members of the Standards Development Committee, and who also coordinated the review of the Company's programs during NCQA's beta testing (programming) beta testing - Testing a pre-release (potentially unreliable) version of a piece of software by making it available to selected users. This term derives from early 1960s terminology for product cycle checkpoints, first used at IBM but later standard throughout the for the new program. "The development and implementation of this program is evidence of the growing recognition of the importance of disease management programs to improved health care outcomes in this country," said Robert Stone, AMHC's executive vice president and president-elect of the Disease Management Association of America. "As the impact of the disease management industry continues to grow, the need to provide purchasers of our services with an objective, external assessment of quality will become even more important. American Healthways has been active from the beginning in supporting this effort and looks forward to adding the important and widely recognized NCQA seal of approval to those of other third parties who have validated the effectiveness of our programs." American Healthways will participate in NCQA's comprehensive Disease Management Accreditation program that involves a comprehensive review of a full range of DM functions. Receipt of accredited accredited recognition by an appropriate authority that the performance of a particular institution has satisfied a prestated set of criteria. accredited herds cattle herds which have achieved a low level of reactors to, e.g. status will further solidify the Company's industry-leading position and further differentiate its programs in the market. Final standards for the accreditation program will be released in mid-December and initial surveys will begin by June 30, 2002. American Healthways will be seeking full accreditation for all of its care enhancement programs including diabetes, congestive heart failure congestive heart failure, inability of the heart to expel sufficient blood to keep pace with the metabolic demands of the body. In the healthy individual the heart can tolerate large increases of workload for a considerable length of time. , coronary artery disease coronary artery disease, condition that results when the coronary arteries are narrowed or occluded, most commonly by atherosclerotic deposits of fibrous and fatty tissue. and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease chronic obstructive pulmonary disease n. Abbr. COPD A chronic lung disease, such as asthma or emphysema, in which breathing becomes slowed or forced. . "We are delighted to have American Healthways demonstrating its commitment to this program," said NCQA president Margaret E. O'Kane. "The participation of the nation's largest disease management organization will simplify oversight for many managed care organizations and, more importantly, help further NCQA's mission of driving improvement in the delivery of health care to those with chronic conditions." Nashville-based American Healthways (www.americanhealthways.com ) is the nation's leading provider of specialized, comprehensive care enhancement services to health plans, physicians and hospitals. The Company's programs have been recognized for innovation and excellence, most recently by the Disease Management Association of America's 2001 Comprehensive Disease Management Company Leadership Award. American Healthways provides disease and care management programs to health plans with members in all 50 states, the District of Columbia District of Columbia, federal district (2000 pop. 572,059, a 5.7% decrease in population since the 1990 census), 69 sq mi (179 sq km), on the east bank of the Potomac River, coextensive with the city of Washington, D.C. (the capital of the United States). , and Puerto Rico. The company also operates diabetes management programs in hospitals nationwide. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion