HOW DO OREGON DOCTORS' OFFICES MEASURE UP? Local Health Reform Gains Momentum with State's First Resource to Compare Care

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT

                                                                            Eva Fowler

202-261-2868/eva.fowler@mslworldwide.com

HOW DO OREGON DOCTORS' OFFICES MEASURE UP?

PORTLAND, ORE. (February 25, 2010) - On the day of President Obama's bipartisan meeting on health reform, a nonprofit health group released a new online health resource that allows Oregonians to compare the quality of primary care provided in over 300 doctors' offices in the state. Sponsored by the Oregon Health Care Quality Corporation, the Web site PartnerforQualityCare.org summarizes care delivered by about two-thirds of the state's adult primary care providers.

While health care is a national issue, it's delivered locally. And for the first time, patients in Oregon can go online to see how their doctor's office or medical group performs on nationally endorsed standards of care, including diabetes, heart disease, women's health and asthma care. All regions of the state are represented, with more than half of practices located outside the Portland metropolitan area.

"Until now, blogs and popularity polls have been the only source of information for the public about performance for doctors and medical groups. This is the first time consistent and reliable information has ever been made available to tell Oregonians whether doctors' offices deliver care that is known to work. This information can help with important health care decisions, such as what care is needed and where to get it," said Nancy Clarke, executive director of the Oregon Health Care Quality Corporation.

The Web site allows patients to look at important indicators of the quality of health care, such as how many people with diabetes get the blood tests they need and how many women get appropriate screenings for breast or cervical cancer. Patients can use the site to determine if their doctor's office performs better than average, average or below average, in comparison with other practices in the state.

"One key to better health is for patients to be both educated and engaged with their health care providers. The Partner for Quality Care Web site gives consumers useful information to guide decisions about their health care. And it also gives doctors and other professionals meaningful data to improve patient care," said Gerald Cohen, state director for AARP Oregon.

The Oregon Health Care Quality Corporation is a nonprofit partnership that coordinates projects on behalf of consumers, employers, health care providers, insurers and government agencies in order to measure and improve health care quality. The data for this Web site come from administrative claims (billing) data from Oregon's eight largest health plans, representing care given to 2.5 million patients. Health plans agreed to provide their data and much of the funding so that the information would be more reliable, and therefore more useful, to doctors, consumers and employers. 

"We understand that these measures capture only a small slice of what is important in primary care. But, this is a good first step for Oregon. I encourage patients to use this information to start a conversation with their doctor about what care they need," said David Shute, M.D., a practicing primary care physician and medical director for the Partner for Quality Care initiative.

The initiative provides doctors with more detailed data to help assess what is working in their own practices, as well as how they compare to their peers. To date, over 40 Oregon medical groups representing more than 1,000 physicians have requested access to this type of data. All doctors' offices included on the public site have also been offered access to free quality improvement support by the Quality Corporation.

PartnerforQualityCare.org has additional information on how well 56 hospitals in Oregon care for patients. Patients can use the information to talk with their doctor about which hospital makes the most sense for them. In addition to comparative data, the Web site offers resources that patients can use to better understand health care quality and tips for getting care that is proven to work.

"Improving the quality of health care requires sharing information about what is happening inside the health care system. The Partner for Quality Care Web site is a valuable resource for anyone who gets, gives or pays for care in Oregon to take an active role in their own health and improve local care," said Susan Mende, M.P.H., senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which partially funds the Oregon Health Care Quality Corporation through its Aligning Forces for Quality program. This national initiative works to lift the overall quality of health care in 15 communities across the United States.

Information from the Web site has also been compiled into a statewide report on health care quality, which is available online. To learn more about the quality of care provided in Oregon doctors' offices, medical groups and hospitals, visit PartnerforQualityCare.org.

###

Partner for Quality Care: Information for a Healthy Oregon is an initiative dedicated to measuring and improving health care through collaboration. Managed by the not-for-profit organization, the Oregon Health Care Quality Corporation, the initiative embraces a three-pronged approach to improving health care: measure the quality of health care; help practitioners use quality measurement information to improve systems of care; and provide the public with tools and information to help them become more involved in their own health care. For more information, visit www.PartnerforQualityCare.org.

The Oregon Health Care Quality Corporation is a non-profit partnership managed by a balanced Board of Directors, senior representatives from health plans, physician groups, purchasers, hospitals, consumers and government that work together to improve health care quality. Founded in 2000, Quality Corporation's projects have demonstrated the value of working cooperatively. For more information, visit www.q-corp.org.