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New Mexico's Health Quality Improvement Organization |
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Prevention
The overall goal of the Prevention Theme is to improve the quality and frequency of preventive health care services and to optimize beneficiary quality of life and health care efficiencies. The New Mexico Medical Review Association’s (NMMRA’s) work on prevention builds on the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) 8th Scope of Work by focusing on impacting the rates of breast cancer and colorectal cancer (CRC) screenings and influenza and pneumococcal immunizations among Medicare beneficiaries. NMMRA is working with a selected group of practices that have already implemented electronic health records (EHRs) certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) to implement care management processes using their EHRs that focus on breast cancer and CRC screening and influenza and pneumococcal immunizations. Interventions promoted by QIOs like NMMRA that support health information technology (HIT) have the potential to improve screening rates through timely notification of providers and patients when a mammogram or CRC screening should be scheduled. Influenza and pneumococcal vaccination levels among adults 65 years of age and older remain well below the Healthy People 2010 objective of 90 percent. More effective strategies are needed for delivering vaccines to high-risk persons, their providers, and household contacts. Under this theme, NMMRA is focusing on the following tasks:
NMMRA is working to recruit 17 participating practices and nine comparison practices with EHR capability. NMMRA will educate each participating practice on using its EHR capabilities to improve rates of screenings and immunizations. Each participating practice will use its certified EHR to report breast cancer and CRC screening and influenza and pneumococcal immunization data. Reporting will begin in April 2009 and will continue quarterly thereafter. NMMRA will assist both participating and comparison practices to complete an assessment of care processes after 16 months, which will review practices’ EHR capabilities and current care processes related to breast and CRC screening and immunizations. View the Prevention Recruitment Kit DisparitiesPublished research reveals that racial/ethnic minority patients generally have fewer routine physician visits and more visits to the emergency room than non-Hispanic white patients. NMMRA is monitoring the statewide rates on the preventive services of breast cancer and CRC screening and immunizations to identify disparities in the provision of these services. For information on reducing disparities and increasing cultural competence, click here. Quality Improvement Projects NMMRA works with primary care and other health care providers in promoting care management activities to support breast cancer screening, colorectal cancer screening, adult immunization for influenza and pneumonia, and diabetes care management. For resources on care management, click here. Medicare Preventive Benefits Information Providers in New Mexico can assist the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) achieve its mission of informing people with Medicare about the preventive benefits available to them. Medicare covers many important screenings and other benefits to help people with Medicare live healthier and more active lives. For more information, click here. For more information on NMMRA's prevention work, contact the Prevention Team.
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