American Heart Assn/American Stroke Assn and NCQA Launch Physician Recognition Program for Cardiovascular, Stroke Care

7/30/2003

From: Kim Hansman of the National Committee for Quality Assurance, 202-955-3509

News Advisory:

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) will host a teleconference at 11 a.m. EDT on August 5, 2003 to announce the launch of the Heart/Stroke Recognition Program. The program is the nation's first to recognize physician excellence in the quality of care provided to persons who have cardiovascular disease, including stroke.

More than 60 million Americans have one or more types of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for approximately 950,000 deaths each year. Despite evidence that reducing cholesterol levels and controlling high blood pressure prevent further health complications, many cardiac and stroke patients are not treated effectively.

Presenters will include:

-- Margaret E. O'Kane, president, National Committee for Quality Assurance

-- Sidney Smith, M.D., professor of medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a past president of the American Heart Association

-- Dale Whitney, corporate health care manager, UPS

WHEN:

Tuesday, August 5, 11 a.m. - noon EDT

Please RSVP to obtain conference call information: Kim Hansman, 202-955-3509

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations, recognizes physicians and physician groups in key clinical areas and manages the evolution of HEDIS(r), the tool the nation's health plans use to measure and report on their performance. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web, media and data licensing agreements in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.

The American Heart Association spent almost $389 million during fiscal year 2001-2002 on research support, public and professional education, and community programs. The organization has more than 22.5 million volunteers and supporters carrying out its mission in communities across the country. The association is the largest voluntary health organization fighting heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, which annually kill about 950,000 Americans.

The goal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, is to raise awareness of stroke and reduce disability and death from stroke. In its 2001-2002 fiscal year, the American Stroke Association spent almost $86 million on stroke-related research and education programs.