Results for the FY24 clinical quality measures, released this month, are mostly positive. Average health center performance on long-reported quality measures held steady or reflected modest improvements over the prior year and outperformed available benchmarks on the Medicaid Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS).
Notable highlights include:
57% of patients with diabetes had controlled HbA1c, versus a benchmark of 55.4% and FY23 results of 55%
71% of patients with hypertension had controlled blood pressure, versus a benchmark of 61% and FY23 results of 68%
62% of patients aged 50+ had a recent breast cancer screening, versus a benchmark of 52% and FY23 results of 59%.
MCares quality measures are chosen because they “correlate with improved patient outcomes, are aligned with conditions highly prevalent in the MCares population, and/or disproportionately affect those served by the network,” the report notes. Thus, results reflect the network’s success in providing meaningful healthcare access for our patient population.
New measures were added in FY24 to reflect areas where quality challenges persist because of unmet resource needs:
Retinal exams among patients with diabetes
Foot exams among patients with diabetes
Pneumococcal vaccination among patients 65+
In its recommendations, the report identifies why these persistent challenges matter and what policy changes would help address them. Click here to read the full report.
This article has not been reviewed or approved by the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services.