NCQA to Release 2003 State of Health Care Quality Report; News Conference Scheduled

9/3/2003

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

News Advisory:

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) will host a news conference on September 18, 2003, to unveil "The State of Health Care Quality: 2003," the latest version of its annual review of the American health care industry's performance in key areas of care and service. This year, the report finds that more than 57,000 Americans die needlessly every year due to commonplace failures of the health care system to deliver proven, effective care, even for well-studied conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

The report also includes a listing of the nation's top 10 health plans in clinical care and member satisfaction, and the top five plans in each region for clinical care.

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(, the tool the nation's health plans use to measure and report on their performance.

Presenters will include: Margaret E. O'Kane, NCQA president; David F. Durenberger, former United States Senator (R-Minn.) and current chairman and CEO, National Institute of Health Policy (NIHP); Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D., director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ); Peter V. Lee, J.D., president and CEO, Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH); and Ellen L. Stovall, president and CEO, National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.

Thursday, September 18, 2003

9 - 10:30 a.m. EDT

National Press Club - Holeman Lounge, 529 14th Street NW, 13th Floor, Washington, D.C.

PLEASE RSVP -- SPACE IS LIMITED. PLEASE CALL: Kim Hansman, 202-955-3509

A conference call option will also be available for media who cannot attend in person. Please RSVP to obtain conference call information.

A Webcast of this news conference will be available at approximately 1 p.m. EDT on September 18 via Kaisernetwork.org, a free service of the Kaiser Family Foundation. Please visit http://www.kaisernetwork.org/healthcast/ncqa/18sep03 to view the Webcast, transcripts, speaker bios and related resources.

Note: Health-plan-specific HEDIS(r) data, as well as regional data extracts, are now available on an embargoed basis. Call (202) 955-3509 to request local data.