California Physician Group Association Initiates First-in-the-Nation Standards of Excellence Program for Monitoring and Improving Patient Care.

LOS ANGELES -- The Board of Directors of the California Association of Physician Groups (CAPG) has approved full implementation of a patient-care focused Standards of Excellence program for its medical group members - the first known coordinated program for medical groups in the U.S. The Standards of Excellence program will measure members' capability in three key elements of patient care -- care management practices, health information technology, and accountability and transparency.

"The Standards of Excellence initiative by CAPG represents an unprecedented and focused effort to improve patient care and provide purchasers of medical services with real information about the capability and depth of healthcare provided to patients," said Wells Shoemaker MD, CAPG medical director. "By measuring the separate components of our medical group members' healthcare delivery practices we can accelerate the improvement of quality care for patients throughout California."

According to Dr. Shoemaker, the Standards of Excellence program is an assessment of the infrastructure--the essential tools--that give CAPG medical groups the ability to coordinate all of the healthcare needs of their patients. It also connects medical groups with the tools to improve their systems of patient care.

"We realized that purchasers of health coverage--employers and families--needed better information upon which to make their provider choices," said CAPG CEO Don Crane. "It's critical for anyone making a provider choice to understand the difference between insurance products built on medical groups working within organized systems versus insurance products built on loosely connected, unaffiliated physicians, which may expose patients to significant gaps, benefit limits, and devastating financial surprises."

In July and August, 2007, CAPG surveyed 85 member physician groups to gain an understanding of the challenges of compiling data, as well as methodology and reporting. The CAPG board reviewed the results at its September, 2007 meeting and directed the development of a workplan to accelerate improvement in capabilities among all of its members. CAPG will conduct its Standards of Excellence survey annually among all of its members.

The California Association of Physician Groups is a professional association comprised of more than 150 of California's leading physician groups. These groups employ and/or contract with physicians who in turn provide healthcare services to approximately 13 million Californians. More than fifty percent of California's healthcare is delivered by physicians employed by or contracted with CAPG members. CAPG members are committed to improving and providing high quality, affordable healthcare for all Californians.