In this episode of “Inside Health Care,” Peggy O’Kane, NCQA President, and Frank Micciche, NCQA VP of Public Affairs and Communications, discuss the importance of public health during the COVID-19 crisis: how COVID-19 is affecting American society as well as quality measurement—and NCQA. Peggy also talks about building a telehealth infrastructure and how the virus is disproportionately impacting African Americans, Hispanics and the underprivileged.

Listen to the podcast below.

Learn more about enacted policies for NCQA staff, contractors, and events due to the Coronavirus here: https://www.ncqa.org/covid/.

Don’t forget: Quality Talks 2020 is April 28. Join us virtually! Register at www.qualitytalks.org.

In this episode of “Inside Health Care,” Delia Brand, Director of Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission Area Agency on Aging (AAA), and Matt Brock, NCQA Communications Director, discuss how NCQA’s Accreditation of Case Management for Long-Term Services and Supports provides a framework for improving the quality of care.

Delia describes how NCQA’s LTSS Best Practices Academy helped Alabama’s 13 AAA’s prepare to apply for Accreditation and how the application process led to better coordination of care. Delia also talks about Alabama AAA’s diverse client population and the benefits of delaying institutional care.

Listen to the podcast below.

Don’t forget: Quality Talks 2020 is April 28. Register at www.qualitytalks.org.

In this episode of “Inside Health Care,” Thomasene Barnes, of New York Health and Hospitals, and Kelsey Keller, of Hackensack Meridian Health, discuss their PCMH Certified Content Expert (CCE) Quality awardwinning efforts with Matt Brock, NCQA Director of Communications. Thomasene and Kelsey talk about their innovative strategies for improving patient-centered care. They also discuss their leadership techniques, motivations and impressions of the PCMH Conference.

In this episode of “Inside Health Care,” Dr. Christopher Grimsrud, of Kaiser Permanente Northern California; Dr. Pallavi Kamjula, of Arnot Ogden Medical Center; and Nick D’Ambra, of WellCare Health Plans, Inc., discuss their NCQA Innovation Award-winning projects with Matt Brock, NCQA Director of Communications. The awardees talk about the motivations, goals and future plans of their projects. Click here to learn more about the 2019 NCQA Innovation Award winners.

The NCQA Innovation Awards recognize NCQA-Accredited health plans and NCQA-Recognized practices for implementing leading-edge strategies that improve both quality and value. The awards also recognize organizations that support delivery system redesign and patient engagement initiatives (including digital engagement strategies) to help drive better integration across the delivery system and support person-centered care. Apply for the 2020 NCQA Innovation Awards here: www.ncqa.org/innovationawards.

Register for Health Care Quality Congress before spaces sell out!

In this episode of “Inside Health Care,” Katharine Iskrant, Practice Leader of Healthy People, Inc., joins Matt Brock, NCQA Director of Communications, for a conversation about the benefits of electronic clinical data system reporting for federal and state stakeholders, health plans, providers and patients. Katharine talks about her experiences as a certified compliance HEDIS auditor and how she works with health plans to improve the quality of care.

She also discusses the challenges health plans face when gathering data for the new ECDS measures and how they can prepare for the imminent mandatory requirement of ECDS reporting. Learn what Katharine and Matt have to say about the future of HEDIS and what initially spurred Katharine to tackle health care quality.

Don’t forget: Quality Talks 2020 is April 28. Register at www.qualitytalks.org.

A Note: The views, information, or opinions expressed by our guests on Inside Health care are solely their own. They do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of NCQA or its employees. These interviews are provided to encourage and promote health care quality improvement. They should not be regarded as an endorsement of any business, organization or individual.