 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Violet H. Barkauskas, PhD, RN, FAAN1, Joanne Pohl, PhD, RN1, Ramona Benkert, MS, RN2, M. Lynn Breer, PhD3, and Andrea Bostrom, PhD, RN4. (1) School of Nursing, The University of Michigan, 400 North Ingalls, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, 734-647-0143, vhbarkas@umich.edu, (2) College of Nursing, Wayne State University, 5777 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201, (3) Data Systems Evaluation and Training, Michigan Public Health Institute, 2440 Woodlake Circle, Suite 150, Okemos, MI 48864, (4) Grand Valley State University, 206 Henry Hall, Grand Rapids, MI 49401
Introduction: Nurse-managed centers (NMCs) provide viable alternatives to traditional primary care, and contribute substantially to filling access gaps for uninsured and under-insured populations. While the basic safety of nurse practitioner practice and patient satisfaction have been demonstrated, few studies have addressed quality of care in NMCs using protocols applied across primary care services. Purposes: The purposes are to: (1) describe the application of eight Health Plan Employer Information Set (HEDIS) (National Committee for Quality Assurance [NCQA], 2001) protocols to six NMCs; (2) report the findings from the quality assessments; and (3) compare NMC findings to national HEDIS benchmarks. The eight quality assessment areas are: asthma, cervical cancer screening, childhood immunizations, depression, diabetes, hypertension, mammography screening, and smoking cessation. Sample: Data were collected in six academic NMCs in a midwestern state. These centers collectively managed over 28,000 visits in 2001. Methods: Researchers adapted the HEDIS protocols for the eight assessment areas. Data were collected by record review abstraction by registered nurses from patient records. Results: NMC quality assessments will be reported, and compared to national benchmarks. The NMCs achieved or exceeded HEDIS benchmarks in a number of important clinical areas, but did not attain benchmarks in others. Quality of care was especially high in chronic disease management. Conclusion: HEDIS quality assessment can be an important approach to benchmarking NMC quality. Challenges and limitations with HEDIS in these settings and recommendations for the adaptation of assessment protocols to non-managed care and nursing practices are addressed.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Quality Improvement, Nursing Center
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.