NEW NCQA PROGRAM WILL HELP MORE THAN 20 MILLION COMPARE DOCTORS AND HOSPITALS ON QUALITY AND COST

48 health plans commit to Physician and Hospital Quality standards

WASHINGTON—The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) today announced that 48 health plans, including five preferred provider organizations (PPOs) [see sidebar], covering more than 20 million Americans, have committed to measure the quality and cost of the care provided by their network physicians and hospitals, and to be evaluated on how well they communicate the results to their customers. Reviews against NCQA’s new Physician and Hospital Quality standards will begin this summer and continue throughout 2006.

http://www.ncqa.org/Communications/News/phq_adopters.htm