Shows
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAA New Approach to an Old Problem: TobaccoIn this episode of Quality Matters, Jules Reich, NCQA Senior Health Care Analyst in Population Health, and Grace Glennon, NCQA Director of Digital Quality Informatics, join host Andy Reynolds to discuss the latest tool in the long crusade against tobacco use: NCQA’s new HEDIS measure, Tobacco Use Screening and Cessation Intervention (TSC-E).This measure replaces an outdated survey-based approach. It also facilitates the transition to digital measurement by using the Electronic Clinical Data Systems (ECDS) reporting method to capture, track and help health plans act on data better and faster.Listen to this episode to...2025-06-2518 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAGetting to the Root of Two Popular Behavioral Health IdeasIn this episode of Quality Matters, Julie Seibert, Assistant Vice President of Behavioral Health at NCQA, joins host Andy Reynolds to explore the rise of—and the relationship between—two trends in behavioral health: measurement-informed care and peer support. Julie breaks down how these strategies improve outcomes, engage patients and close gaps in access and accountability.Listen to this episode to discover: How Measurement-Informed Care Engages Patients: Learn how measurement-informed care supports patient engagement and treatment adjustments in behavioral health. We explore the importance of ongoing assessment, tracking symptoms and outcomes and empowering patients to understand their...2025-06-1120 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAReimagining Respiration: The Quest for Better Asthma CareIn this episode of Quality Matters, Tonya Winders, President and CEO of the Global Allergy and Airways Patient Platform (GAAPP), joins host Andy Reynolds to unpack the diagnosis and care gaps that plague asthma treatment—from delayed access to spirometry, to underuse of biologics. Tonya explains what high-quality, patient-centered asthma care requires, and what health care leaders can do to close that gap.Tonya also discusses: Why a definitive diagnosis of asthma isn’t necessarily the norm.What the “three-legged stool” of asthma care looks like.Why patient-centricity is essential for chronic disease management.How new treatment...2025-05-2822 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQATrump and the Digital Quality TransformationIn the second episode of our special series on recommendations to the Trump administration, Quality Matters host Andy Reynolds welcomes Ryan Howells, Principal at Leavitt Partners, for an illuminating discussion on transforming digital quality and data exchange..Ryan shares fresh ideas from the Leavitt Partners roadmap to reshape digital health infrastructure by embracing scalable, internet-based standards and dismantling policy barriers. At the core of this conversation is that effective data exchange must be powered not only by modern standards, but by trust among people and institutions. Ryan’s suggestions include:· Implementing APIs at scale...2025-05-1421 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAThe Next Four Years of Quality: What Trump’s Team Should Do NowOne-hundred days into the second Trump administration, Quality Matters host Andy Reynolds welcomes Eric Musser, Vice President of Federal Affairs at NCQA, for an insightful discussion about NCQA’s recommendations to the Trump administration for improving health care quality.Eric shares ideas to shape a strong quality future for value-based care, digital health infrastructure and behavioral health.The conversation focuses on value-based care models that prioritize care integration to prevent or alleviate chronic illness. Eric identifies fragmentation’s threats to care delivery and data management—problems NCQA’s recommendations aim to address.Specific suggesti...2025-04-3019 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQASneak Preview: Health Quality Forum 2025In this episode, we sit down with NCQA leaders Stacy Grundy, Rachel Harrington and Kristine Toppe for a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming Health Quality Forum 2025, and a discussion about the complexities and possibilities of modern health care, with a focus on data sharing and strategies to address health inequities.Learn about data-driven collaborations in states like Maryland, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, where public agencies, health systems and community groups are uniting to improve outcomes.And get an inside look at our hands-on workshops on NCQA Health Equity Accreditation and Virtual Care Accreditation, designed to...2025-04-0219 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQADigital Quality Transformation Made SimpleContinuing the last Quality Matters episode, host Andy Reynolds and NCQA Chief Technology Officer, Ed Yurcisin, break down the complexities of the digital transformation in health care quality and explore the importance of high-quality data exchange, particularly in the context of HEDIS reporting and the FHIR interoperability standard. Ed explains how NCQA’s work in digital HEDIS measurement not only improves health care quality reporting, but also lays the groundwork for broader industry advancements. By ensuring consistent, standardized data for digital HEDIS, NCQA is setting the stage for better measurement of public health, smoother prior authorization and general data ac...2025-03-0522 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQADecoding Digital TransformationIn this episode of Quality Matters, host Andy Reynolds is joined by Ed Yurcisin, Chief Technology Officer at NCQA, to break down the complexities of digital transformation in health care quality. Ed explains how NCQA’s push for digital measurement cuts through inefficiencies and inconsistencies in assessing quality. Traditionally, HEDIS® quality measures have existed as large, text-heavy PDFs, leaving room for misinterpretation. By digitalizing these measures into computer code—Clinical Quality Language (CQL)—NCQA removes ambiguity and standardizes interpretation. That makes it easier for health care organizations to implement and use quality measures. This shift reduces administrative burden and helps e...2025-02-2017 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQABundles 101: An Education in Value-Based CareOn this episode of Quality Matters, host Andy Reynolds is joined by Brittany Cunningham, Vice President of Episodes of Care and Population Health at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, to discuss how value-based care is reshaping health care through MyHealth Bundles. By packaging treatments into predictable, all-inclusive bundles, employers save money, patients avoid surprise bills and providers can focus on delivering high-quality care instead of navigating insurance complexities.But does bundling mean cutting corners? Brittany sets the record straight: The model eliminates waste, not necessary care. With lower C-section rates, near-zero infection rates for joint replacements and faster...2025-02-0516 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAQuality’s AI Future is NowIn this engaging episode of Quality Matters, host Andy Reynolds is joined by Aaron Neinstein, Chief Medical Officer at Notable, to explore how AI is reshaping health care. It’s not all robotic efficiency and cold algorithms. Aaron shares how AI takes over repetitive and data-heavy tasks so doctors can focus on their patients. Imagine spending less time sorting through charts and more time asking, “How does your illness affect your life?” That’s the transformative hope of AI.The conversation takes a deep dive into the pressures on the health care workforce—from burnout to unstaffed job positi...2025-01-2219 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAGetting Clear About Behavioral HealthIn this episode of Quality Matters, we dive into the complexities of behavioral health care with Julie Seibert, Assistant Vice President of Behavioral Health at NCQA, and Tom Tsang, founding CEO and Chief Strategy Officer at Valera Health. Together, they explore the interconnected challenges of access, quality and payment in behavioral health, emphasizing the need to treat the whole person by addressing both mental and physical health. Julie highlights NCQA’s three-part framework for behavioral health—access, quality, and payment—emphasizing that linking these elements is critical in improving care.Tom shares how conversations around mental health have c...2024-12-0519 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAHospital President: Health Equity Verifies Qualityn this episode of Quality Matters, host Andy Reynolds sits down with Tosan Boyo, President of Sutter Health East Bay Market, to discuss his inspiring journey from Nigerian immigrant to leading a major health care institution. Boyo shares how his early experiences as a patient in a safety-net hospital shaped his commitment to health equity and continue to shape his leadership. He reflects on key moments that drove his passion for providing equitable care and the responsibility health care leaders have in ensuring access for all.Boyo highlights the importance of community engagement in health care workforce...2024-10-3020 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAWomen In QualityIn this episode of Quality Matters, host Andy Reynolds previews the upcoming Women in Quality panel at NCQA’s Health Innovation Summit. He speaks with Vanessa Guzman, CEO of SmartRise Health and Ella Es Health, who will moderate the panel. Vanessa shares her insights on empowering women in quality by cultivating self-awareness, fostering connections and building a culture of quality. She also introduces two thoughtful panelists, Khanh Nguyen, CEO of Cozeva, and Lynn Todman, Vice President of Health Equity at Corewell Health, who bring unique perspectives on resilience, community impact and health equity.The discussion emphasizes the im...2024-10-1615 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAA Win for Value-Based Care in OB-GYNIn this episode of Quality Matters, host Andy Reynolds is joined by Dr. Tiffany Inglis, National Medical Director for Women’s and Children’s Health at Carelon Health, to explore the Elevance Health Obstetrics Practice Consultants program. A winner of an NCQA Health Innovation Award, the Elevance Health program breaks new ground by bringing value-based care to obstetrics, a field where value-based strategies remain rare. Dr. Inglis discusses the program’s focus on improving maternal health outcomes by addressing racial disparities and providing practitioners with insight and know-how. By emphasizing collaboration and data-driven support, the program improves the care of mot...2024-10-0215 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAThe New Rules of Data SharingIn this episode of Quality Matters, host Andy Reynolds delves into the transformative impact of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) on health care data interoperability. Joined by Amol Vyas, NCQA Vice President of Interoperability, and Eric Musser, Vice President of Federal Affairs, the discussion uncovers how TEFCA is reshaping the landscape of health information exchange.Amol explains TEFCA’s function as a voluntary, national network (analogous to the postal service in its role as a connector) and highlighting implications for the free flow of HEDIS data. Eric provides insight into TEFCA’s bipartisan roots in t...2024-09-0414 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAThe Move to Digital Quality MeasurementIn this episode of Quality Matters, host Andy Reynolds sits down with Rebecca Jacobson, CEO of Astrata, to explore the challenges and opportunities in transitioning to digital quality measurement in health care.Rebecca offers an in-depth look at the sociotechnical shifts required for this evolution, sharing practical strategies to help organizations navigate this complex process. Discover how to overcome common obstacles, and learn about the real financial benefits that can convince even the most skeptical CFOs to invest in this transition.Rebecca also provides a candid assessment of the industry's current state of readiness, emphasizing...2024-08-2123 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #125: The Digital Drive from Sick Care to Value-Based CareIn this episode, we highlight two companies that leverage data from many different sources to create a more complete picture of a person’s health. The ultimate goal? Shifting away from the current model of “sick care” - where patients primarily see their doctors when they aren’t feeling well – to care models that prioritize long-term health and self-management with guidance from providers. These companies are helping lead the way to value-based care, from using AI to sift through patient-reported data and provide actionable insights, to integrating NCQA's HEDIS measurements into their data platform, thereby putting quality at the center of...2024-02-1434 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #123: Health Equity & Making the Commitment to ChangeThis episode of “Inside Health Care: a Podcast by NCQA” features three interviews recorded live at our Health Innovation Summit in October 2023. Among many panels and presentations was an incredible session titled “Health Equity Trailblazers: Where Vision Meets Commitment.” Health equity leaders discussed their organizations’ health equity strategies, vision and lessons learned, delving into how leaders can commit to and advance health equity priorities. Each of this episode’s guests sat on that panel then sat with me for a deeper dive. These leaders, each in their own way, want to inspire us to action.Dr. Joneigh Khaldun is V...2024-01-1751 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #121: Peggy O'Kane and Driving Digital Transformation in 2024We close 2023 with our annual year-end State of Health Care interview with NCQA President Peggy O’Kane. In this interview, Peggy talks with Vice President for Public Policy and External Relations, Frank Micciche, about NCQA’s progress in 2023—both in improving equitable access to health care and implementing digital transformation across the ecosystem. As you’ll hear, we’re hitting the ground running in 2024. With new digital products, digital quality implementers and digital solutions to reveal—and reverse—health care disparities, NCQA stands ready to take the lead on advancing quality for everyone.Don't forget to sign up for NCQA’s...2023-12-2030 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #119: Bringing Alcohol Screening to the PCPs & Coordinated Care through CBOsIn this episode of Inside Health Care, we present two interviews that each ask really basic, yet complex, questions about health care.The first question: Why are patient alcohol and substance use issues so often overlooked in primary care? This interview will not only answer that question: it will point patients and providers in the right direction: toward adoption of universal alcohol screening and follow-up. Three experts remind us that there is help to implement evidence-based alcohol health care—free resources from NCQA and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [NIAAA], part of the National In...2023-11-221h 00Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #117: Live from NCQA's Second Health Innovation SummitIn this episode, we hear clips from four interviews recorded live at NCQA’s 2nd annual Health Innovation Summit.Parker Holcomb is Chief AI Engineer at Elevance Health. At NCQA’s 2023 Health Innovation Summit, he participated in a session titled “Building Trust in Clinical Data for Value-Based Care”. Parker stands at the forefront of data quality, constantly seeking to perfect data quality standards, all towards closing gaps in health equity. So how do professionals and technologists align the movement toward digital health transformation in the direction of value-based care?Dr. Joseph Betancourt is president of the Comm...2023-10-2624 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #115: Telehealth, Adult Immunization, and the Pandemic in RetrospectIn this episode of “Inside Health Care,” we take a look back at what we’ve learned since the pandemic hit over two years ago. We first chat with an upcoming star speaker at NCQA’s 2023 Health Innovation Summit on what we’ve garnered from the growth of telehealth in remote medicine. Then in our second interview in this episode, we discuss the public’s conflict with immunization and new strategies on encouraging vaccination.Dr. Leslie Eiland is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism at the University of Nebraska...2023-09-2749 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #113: Fee-Based vs. Value-Based Care and Careful CredentialingIn this episode of “Inside Health Care,” we chat with a prominent NCQA board member about flipping fee-for-service models to value-based models, all in order to ease digital transformation. Then, we talk about the challenges and true rewards of pursuing Credentialing Accreditation. Dr. Craig Samitt is the CEO and Founder of ITO Advisors, an advisory and investment firm committed to value transformation of the health care industry. Dr. Samitt sits on many boards in addition to NCQA’s Board of Directors. He also serves as a strategic advisor to federal agencies, public and non-profit health plans and numero...2023-08-3049 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #112: Patient Focus, Equity Lensing, and Next Steps for Long-Term Services and SupportsIn this episode of “Inside Health Care,” we talk digital transformation with a prominent medical informaticist. Then, we hear a conversation on NCQA’s long-term services and supports programs, a.k.a. LTSS, from a long-time accredited managed care supporter.Dr. John Glaser is Executive in Residence at Harvard Medical School Executive Education. Previously he was Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Health Services. He is former Chair of the Global Agenda Council on Digital Health in the World Economic Forum, and former Senior Advisor to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. He’s also a m...2023-08-1648 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #111: Cozeva, Data Aggregator Validation, and Data CredibilityIn this episode, we talk with two leaders of an amazing NCQA partner company, Cozeva, while revisiting one of NCQA’s cutting edge digital products, our Data Aggregator Validation program [DAV]. Cozeva, a member of the original program cohort, is an integrated, comprehensive population health platform.Our Data Aggregator Validation program now forms the backbone of Cozeva’s services. Cozeva currently provides health care data solutions to nearly 37,000 providers across 16 states. For more details on NCQA's data analysis work, check out our Data Measures Roadmap.Dr. Khanh Nguyen is Chief Executive Officer of Cozeva. Khanh has...2023-08-0247 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #110: Dr. Xiaoyan Huang, Danielle Christensen and the Value of Patient-Centered Specialty Practice RecognitionIn this episode, we’re focusing on NCQA’s PCSP—Patient-Centered Specialty Practice Recognition program. As noted on our website, the PCSP Recognition program focuses on coordinating and sharing information among primary care clinicians and specialists. It requires clinicians to organize care around patients—across all clinicians seen by a patient. Patients and their families or other caregivers are included in planning care and considered partners in managing conditions.Specialty practices that earn NCQA’s PCSP Recognition communicate more effectively with primary care, integrate services better with primary care and improve the quality of their care. Patients see the di...2023-07-1941 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #109: The End of the Emergency and the Rise of Medicaid RedeterminationOn this episode of Inside Health Care, we talk Medicaid with a large, equity-focused provider about the end of the Fed’s pandemic-related emergency Medicaid provisions. Following that, a chat with one of our 2022-2023 PCMH Certified Content Expert Quality Award winners. Later on, some fast facts for you in observance of World Hepatitis Day.Elevance Health, a large multi-state health insurance provider, is the largest managed care company in the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. In September of 2022, an Elevance Health subsidiary, Simply Healthcare Plans of Florida, became one of the first health care organizations in th...2023-07-0556 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #107: Dr. Ava Jones and the Pursuit of Health Equity for the HomelessOn this episode of Inside Health Care, we feature two interviews celebrating winners of two different NCQA awards: a NCQA 2022 Health Innovation Award and a 2022-2023 PCMH CCE Quality Award Winner. Later in the show in our Fast Facts segment, we discuss gender equity-related health care terminology.In our first interview, we talk with Dr. Ava Jones, PhD and RN, the Director for Health Equity and Accreditation at United Health Care Community and State’s Florida Plan. Dr. Jones' workplace won an NCQA 2022 Health Innovation Award for the “UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Florida Housing Navigation Program.” A health...2023-06-0752 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #106: Dr. Ben Kligler with Integrative Medicine through a Quality LensOn this episode of Inside Health Care, we talk about acupuncture, yoga and a host of other “alternative” therapies with a health leader in the U.S. government. After that, we explore a newly announced breakthrough in digitalization exploration with NCQA’s Chief Technology Officer.Our first guest is one the foremost experts in the U.S. on integrative medicine. He answers some difficult questions. How have some alternative therapies become legitimized? And what are the risks of unregulated therapies?Benjamin Kligler, MD, MPH, is Executive Director of the Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultur...2023-05-2445 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #95: Peggy O'Kane & the State of Health Care 2022In this episode of “Inside Health Care,” featuring NCQA’s President, Peggy O’Kane, we look back at the challenges and successes of 2022 and consider what lies ahead for quality in 2023. Peggy and NCQA’s Vice President of Public Policy and External Relations, Frank Micciche, discuss a wide range of issues, including NCQA’s Health Equity Accreditation programs, the launch of our annual Health Innovation Summit and the digitalization of the health care world.We want to hear from you. Do you have comments or feedback about this episode? Send us a note with ideas for topics for future s...2022-12-2129 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #94: John Palmieri, Maria Stanfield & the Ground Game for Behavioral Crisis MitigationThis episode of “Inside Health Care” features three interviews recorded live at NCQA’s inaugural Health Innovation Summit in November 2022. We first talk about the national "988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline" with a broader look at behavioral health crisis management at the national, county and community levels. Later on, we get an inside look at NCQA’s Recognition programs.John Palmieri, MD, is a Senior Medical Advisor at SAMHSA. He’s also Acting Director for the 988 and Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office. This episode begins with a clip from the full interview with Dr. Palmieri, featured in our sixth mini...2022-12-0726 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #93: Dr. Darrell M. Gray, II, & Health Equity Leadership for the New GenerationFirst on this episode of Inside Health Care, we discuss Health Equity in an interview with Darrell M. Gray II, MD, the first Chief Health Equity Officer for Elevance Health. The company, as announced in Fall 2022, was one of 9 companies to earn distinction in both of NCQA's Health Equity Accreditation programs. This interview is one of three podcast interviews conducted in coordination with Elevance Health and was recorded live at NCQA's first Health Innovation Summit in November 2022.We then discuss antibiotics stewardship with Dr. David Hyun, who directs the Pew Charitable Trust's antibiotic resistance project. The interview...2022-11-2358 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #90: Elevance Health, Simply Healthcare, & the Giant Leap towards Health EquityAt NCQA, we believe and solidly state the following principles:• High quality care is equitable care. AND -- • There is no quality without equity.This is evidenced by NCQA’s Health Equity Accreditation and Health Equity Accreditation Plus programs. In this episode, we meet representatives of one of the first nine health care companies to achieve both Health Equity Accreditations, Simply Healthcare, an Elevance Health Company.We welcome Tammy MacDonald, Staff Vice President for Accreditation and Quality Programs at Elevance Health, and Holly Prince, President, Simply Healthcare Plans Medicaid at Elevance Health...2022-10-1348 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #89: Louisiana Medicaid & Moving Health Equity into the StatesIn this episode, we find a fascinating look at one state’s efforts to develop changes that will indelibly improve Health Equity for their citizens. There are so many ways in which Health Equity initiatives can be implemented on the state level. And it doesn’t have to start with some kind of legislation.In this interview, NCQA Assistant Vice President for State Affairs Kristine Toppe moderates a discussion with state Medicaid quality leaders from Louisiana. They discuss a new report, funded by the California Health Care Foundation. The paper follows an earlier one, as Kristine will expl...2022-09-2850 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #88: Person-Centered Outcome Measures & Flipping the ParadigmWe begin this episode with a special appearance from NCQA President Peggy O’Kane, giving us exciting news about NCQA’s first annual, live, in person, 4-day Health Innovation Summit! Join us October 31-November 3, 2022, in Washington, DC. Go to https://www.ncqasummit.com to register. For our featured interviews this week, we discuss NCQA's Person-Centered Outcome Measures.Imagine a clinician asking you what you feel, what you think might be wrong, and just…listening. And then the clinician says…what would you like to be able to do that you can’t do now? What are your g...2022-09-1540 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #87: Eric Gremminger & the Tech Push to Individualized Behavioral HealthcareOn this episode of “Inside Health Care”, we talk with Eric Gremminger, CEO and Co-Founder of ERPHealth. Eric is an Internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor and a nationally recognized leader in the behavioral health space. Since 2014, Eric has trained behavioral healthcare professionals around the country on how to use patient reported outcome measures to personalize clinical curriculums and inform policy and procedure.Eric’s company, ERPHealth, develops tech tools and platforms for collecting and delivering patient-reported data from behavioral health treatment and therapy. The mission of his company, ERPHealth “is to save and transform lives through individu...2022-08-3137 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #86: Dr. Bryan O. Buckley on the Innovative Road to Health EquityNCQA stands at the forefront of the effort to identify and firmly resolve the issues of health inequity. Our Health Equity Accreditation Programs help the health care industry re-evaluate how to advance health equity for all. As part of our dedication to closing Equity gaps, NCQA continues to expand our team as we welcome Dr. Bryan O. Buckley as NCQA’s Director for Health Equity Initiatives.In this new position, Dr. Buckley will support NCQA’s Health Equity strategy across multiple departments to better integrate health equity concepts into existing programs and projects. In addition to teaching at G...2022-08-1835 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #84: Donna Cryer & the Wake-up Call for Liver Disease TreatmentOn this episode, we discuss an all-too-often underdiagnosed disease: NASH, a.k.a. nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, a severe form of “fatty liver” disease. Though NASH can affect people who are obese or diabetic with high cholesterol, it can also hit someone who’s relatively healthy and who doesn’t even drink alcohol. It’s because of this and other factors that liver disease can be easily underdiagnosed, leading to dire consequences.A few months ago, there was a great roundtable discussion about approaches to care and treatment – and hopeful early diagnosis – for people with NASH. In April 2022, NCQA together with...2022-07-2027 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #82: Abner Mason, LGBTQ+ Equity, and the Value of "Cultural Experience"For this special episode of Inside Health Care, we continue our celebration of Pride month with Abner Mason, the Founder and C-E-O of SameSky Health. Abner, who is African-American and Gay, says he proudly represents all aspects of himself in his work. He say it was empathy that led him to create SameSky Health, his company that works with health plans to change their approach to patients. SameSky encourages health care that’s based in “cultural experience”, and avoids traditional, impersonal methodologies, choosing instead to pay more attention to the individual. It envisions plans and systems that encourage dignity, autono...2022-06-2341 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #81: Dr. Yared Alemu & the Tech Path to Adolescent Behavioral HealthHappy Pride Month! In this episode, we speak with a psychologist whose company develops software that help diagnose behavioral issues in adolescents on the spot. Later, we talk with one of NCQA’s newest executives. Finally, we offer another dose of “Matt’s Facts”, this time focusing on some historical dates and important statistics relating to the LGBTQ+ population.Dr. Yared Alemu is Founder and CEO of TQIntelligence, which uses “unique human attributes like voice and speech to identify and treat behavioral issues in children.” Through quick but complex analysis of biomarkers, a mobile app interprets voice recordings a...2022-06-0953 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #80: Dr. Jason Herrick & the Reintegration of Behavioral Health CareMay is Mental Health Awareness Month. In talking about behavioral health, NCQA again is at the forefront of health measurement. The NCQA Distinction in Behavioral Health Integration program works with NCQA PCMHs to perform gap analyses and figure out how to bring better care to mental health and substance abuse patients.One of the first health systems to qualify for our Behavioral Health distinction was New York-based Montefiore Medical Group. With their headquarters in the Bronx, Montefiore Health System includes more than 20 primary care locations in the Bronx and Westchester County. Over time, they realized how inseparable...2022-05-2546 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #77: The 2022 NCQA PCMH Certified Content Expert Award WinnersOur show today celebrates three outstanding health care workers: NCQA’s Patient-Centered Medical Home Certified Content Expert Award Winners.NCQA’s PCMH is the most widely adopted recognition program of its kind in the United States. Over 10,000 practices have been recognized through our PCMH, with more than 95 organizations in support of the program. The NCQA PCMH Content Expert Certification program certifies individuals who demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of NCQA’s PCMH program. These professionals know the how and the why of supporting NCQA’s endeavors to improve quality through measurement. The 2022 NCQA CCE Award winners represent the best of the b...2022-04-1349 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #75: Dr. Eric Schneider & the Quality Measurement ForecastIn this episode, we get a look ahead, both at the future of NCQA's Quality Measurement agenda and our Quality Talks 2022 event.Dr. Eric Schneider is NCQA's recently-appointed Executive Vice President of the Quality Measurement and Research Group. In this role, he helps drive NCQA’s efforts to create a more equitable health care system and to advance the move to digital quality measurement. Before that, he served as a Health Quality expert for both The Commonwealth Fund and the RAND Corporation. He taught public health policy at Harvard Medical and was a practicing primary care internist fo...2022-03-1640 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #73: Dr. Shane McNamee & the Genius of the Learning Health SystemImagine a world where all medical and patient information gets combined and processed efficiently. No matter how many doctors you’d see about a certain problem, each doctor would already have the test results and evaluations of the one before.And the health systems themselves would automatically grab all that patient info…and use it to fix what’s broken in the patient care system.Sounds like a lot to ask for. But our guest on Inside Health Care has an answer. It’s called a Learning Health System. And at the leading edge of developi...2022-02-1636 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #71: Dr. Chere Gregory and Dr. Nneka Sederstrom on Beginning the Journey of NCQA's Health Equity Accreditation ProgramsNCQA launched its Health Equity Accreditation program late last year. In another exciting development, it’s launched a pilot version of Health Equity Accreditation Plus, designed for organizations that already have an equity program but are looking for advanced ways to measure and boost existing efforts.
Both programs provide a thorough framework to measure progress and inform new disparity-eliminating strategies.
But there’s more.
These programs are not limited to NCQA’s traditional health plan partners. With the aim of attacking disparities wherever they may be found, the Health Equity Accreditation Programs now both accept health system applicants. So, as the Hea...2022-01-1951 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #70: NCQA President Peggy O'Kane & the State of Health Care 2021In 2021, the pandemic continued to test our health system.
In this episode of “Inside Health Care” featuring NCQA’s President, Peggy O’Kane, we look back at how the pandemic brought challenges but also inspired innovation. In this chat with NCQA’s Vice President of Public Policy and External Relations, Frank Micciche, Peggy looks back at the uneasiness of 2021…before looking ahead, with hope, at the year to come.2021-12-2918 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #68: Dr. Lisa Cooper & Bridging Equity Gaps with Better ListeningThis episode of "Inside Health Care" features Dr. Lisa A. Cooper, a pioneer in closing the gaps that still persist in health care equity.
Dr. Lisa A. Cooper is an internist, a health services researcher, and a social epidemiologist. A recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant in 2007, Dr. Cooper pioneered methods of measuring racial and ethnic disparities in the quality of communication and relationships between doctors and patients and of implementing community-engaged interventions to overcome disparities in health and health care.
A faculty member at Johns Hopkins University since 1994, Dr. Cooper founded the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity, bringing toge...2021-12-0134 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #67: Dr. Renee Towne & Dr. Niam Yaraghi on What to Do with the Data You CrunchEverybody knows how annoying it can be when a doctor sits you down and asks you a ton of irrelevant questions, sometimes with their nose in their laptop, before even examining you. On this podcast, we talk a lot about the ‘Digitalization of health.’ But once someone gathers the data, crunches the numbers, then sends them to the right people, what’s next?
For answers, in this episode on Inside Health Care, we talk with data-crunching experts Dr. Renee Towne and Dr. Niam Yaraghi.
Dr. Renee Towne is Director of Quality Programs for KPI Ninja, a company that helps health care i...2021-11-1744 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #66: Dr. Dan Wilson & Dr. Mary Barton on NCQA's Kidney Health Toolkit & a Deeper Dive into DiabetesThis week's episode of NCQA's Inside Health Care podcast observes National Diabetes Month. We feature a discussion with two experts in diabetes care who discuss the links between diabetes diagnosis and kidney disease. Following that, we have a chat with NCQA President Peggy O'Kane about moving Health Equity solutions to the top of U.S. health care agenda.
More than 37 million adults in the U.S. have chronic kidney disease, but because so many are asymptomatic, most of them don’t know they have it. Bayer recently teamed up with NCQA to develop a Kidney Health Toolkit, an amazing package of m...2021-11-0330 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #65: Dr. Rachel Harrington on Health Equity and "What's Measured...Matters."Why do the issues of Health Equity persist? If agencies and NGOs have spent years identifying gaps in care for minority groups in the U.S., what needs to be done to solve these issues, once and for all?
Enter NCQA Research Scientist Dr. Rachel Harrington. In the paper titled "An Equity Agenda for the Field of Health Care Quality Improvement," published in mid-September 2021 by the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Harrington, along with NCQA President Peggy O'Kane and other Health Care leaders, discuss the origins and continuing factors that seem to perpetuate gaps in Health Equity in the U...2021-10-2033 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #64: Keirsha Thompson, LaToshia Rouse, & Bridging Health Equity Through Quality MeasurementIn September 2021, the esteemed Health Affairs organization published a significant paper in their online blog, titled “A New Effort To Address Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Care Through Quality Measurement.” The authors, from NCQA and beyond, focus on the strides being made in collecting accurate data on patient race and ethnicity, discussing current strides in parsing and disseminating that data to both federal agencies and medical institutions.
This year, NCQA began rolling out race and ethnicity stratification in HEDIS measures, incorporating five measures across several key areas covering multiple product lines – with plans to build out even more comprehensive metrics in the...2021-10-0644 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #61: NCQA Torda Fellow Kevin Wiley and Crunching Data for Care CoordinationKevin Wiley, NCQA’s new Phyllis Torda Health Care Quality and Equity Fellow, researches solutions for improving care delivery and coordination for minority communities. Kevin chats with NCQA Director of Communications Matt Brock about what can be done both to simplify patient care and to help patients and their providers to share information more efficiently. We also learn about his plans for the next year serving as Torda fellow.2021-09-0933 minQuality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #62 - Tavia Rauch on Using Data Exchanges to Improve HEDIS TestingIn this episode of “Inside Health Care,” we hear from a member of the Digital Measurement Community, Tavia Rauch, head of clinical informatics with the New York e-Health Collaborative. Before that, she spent nearly five years in charge of population health and data quality for non-profit Hixny, a health information exchange connecting individuals, providers, and organizations across eastern New York state.
NCQA partnered with the New York State Department of Health to explore possibilities in using health information exchange data to calculate health quality measures. Tavia talked back in December of 2020 about how her organization is able to gauge the succ...2021-09-0929 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #59: Dr. Janani Rangaswami and Dr. Mary Barton on Optimizing Care for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Heart FailureJanani Rangaswami, MD, FACP, FCRS, FAHA
Mary Barton, MD
In 2020, NCQA convened a Diabetes and Heart Failure Roundtable with a diverse panel of experts to confront the persistent challenges of care delivery and to drive improvement in the quality of care for patients affected by type 2 diabetes and heart failure. Findings from the discussion are presented in a white paper, Optimizing Care for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Failure.
In this episode of Inside Health Care, Dr. Janani Rangaswami, Clinical Associate Professor at Thomas Jefferson University, and Dr. Mary Barton, NCQA’s Vice Pr...2021-03-0231 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #58: Vanessa Guzman, of SmartRise Health, on Quality ImprovementVanessa Guzman of SmartRise Health
In this episode of Inside Health Care, Vanessa Guzman, CEO of SmartRise Health, chats with NCQA’s Matt Brock about aligning quality improvement between payers and providers. Vanessa discusses key components of a quality program for these two groups, and how to prioritize measures when participating in multiple value-based care arrangements.
Vanessa also discusses how payers and providers can engage patients to address gaps in care and how best to integrate social determinants of health as part of a quality program.
Learn more about the NCQA’S Digital Meas...2021-02-2210 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #57: Chronic Kidney Disease Often Undiagnosed in Medicare Beneficiaries—Data HighlightThis episode of Inside Health Care features a panel discussion about a joint study of chronic kidney disease (CKD) by NCQA, Duke University and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Office of Minority Health. Panelists are Matt Maciejewski, PhD, and Clarissa Diamantidis, PhD (Duke); Loida Tamayo (CMS); and Karen Onstad and Matt Brock (NCQA).
CKD is a gradual loss of kidney function that begins with asymptomatic kidney damage and may progress to kidney failure, requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant. Rates of diagnosed CKD in Medicare beneficiaries have increased over time; in 2017, 15% of Medicare beneficiaries...2021-01-2624 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #56: Peggy O’Kane on Last Year’s Challenges and New Year’s ResolutionsIn this episode of “Inside Health Care,” Peggy O’Kane, NCQA President, talks with Frank Micciche, NCQA VP of Public Policy and Communications, about what she learned from 2020, including her rediscovery of the importance of public health and its links with the private sector.
Peggy and Frank also discuss NCQA’s priorities for 2021 and beyond: Digital quality measures, multicultural health care, telehealth and more.
2021-01-1224 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #55: Dr. Douglas Jacobs, Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services Chief Innovation OfficerDr. Douglas Jacobs
In this episode of Inside Health Care, Dr. Douglas Jacobs, Chief Innovation Officer of Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services, chats with Eric Musser, NCQA Deputy Director of State Affairs about his background, how Pennsylvania responded to COVID-19 and built equity inside the department in response to America’s racial reckoning in 2020.
Dr. Jacobs also talks about incentivizing Medicaid managed care organizations to close disparities, how NCQA’s Distinction in Multicultural Health Care fit into the department’s larger health equity goals and the biases of algorithms in health care.
2020-12-2925 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #54: Vanessa Guzman, of SmartRise Health, on Filling ACO Payer CollaborationVanessa Guzman of SmartRise Health
In this episode of Inside Health Care, Vanessa Guzman, CEO of SmartRise Health, chats with NCQA’s Lawrence Green about accountable care organization (ACO)-payer partnerships, risk value-based payments and improving quality in cost-related metrics. Vanessa discusses ACO and payer priorities, successful ACO-payer models and the role of quality measures in an ideal strategy.
Vanessa also talks about the key elements for building an ACO-payer infrastructure to support quality in value-based arrangements and how data can help build partnerships for closing gaps in care and addressing social determinants of health....2020-12-1524 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #53: Vanessa Guzman of SmartRise Health on Filling Gaps in CareVanessa Guzman of SmartRise Health
In this episode of Inside Health Care, Vanessa Guzman, CEO of SmartRise Health, chats with Matt Brock, NCQA Director of Communications, about the intersection of gaps in care, population health and quality reporting. Vanessa discusses the role of preventive health, behavioral health and social determinants of health in closing care gaps.
Vanessa also talks about leveraging data to close gaps in care and the role technology and artificial intelligence play in improving population health outcomes.
Learn about NCQA’s Digital Measurement Community and chat with us in the fo...2020-12-0829 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #52: AmeriHealth Caritas’ Danielle Brooks on Ensuring Health Equity and Quality ImprovementDanielle Brooks of AmeriHealth Caritas
In this episode of Inside Health Care, AmeriHealth Caritas’ Danielle Brooks, Director of Health Equity, chats with Dr. Michael Barr, NCQA Executive Vice President, about “The Return on Investment for Health Equity and Quality Improvement,” her presentation at this year’s Digital Quality Summit.
Danielle also discusses the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on communities of color and how this might impact addressing health disparities, measures to take when collecting data to address health equity and the importance of having diverse ethnicities and voices in the room when developing health care products...2020-11-1725 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #51: Ashlee Wisdom, of Health In Her Hue, Discusses Delivering Culturally Competent Health CareAshlee Wisdom of Health In Her Hue
In this episode of Inside Health Care, Ashlee Wisdom, CEO and founder of Health In Her Hue, chats with NCQA’s Lawrence Green about the importance of connecting Black women with culturally competent health care providers, telehealth services and health information that centers Black women’s lived experiences. Ashlee addresses how the roots of America’s health care system align against the interests of Black women and how she’s helping to change the narrative around health equities.
Ashlee also discusses how she built Health In Her Hue, user and...2020-11-0226 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #50: Dr. Adrienne Mims of Jencare Senior Medical Center discusses her devotion to patient care with NCQA’s Peggy O’KaneDr. Adrienne Mims Courtesy of JenCare Senior Medical Center
In this episode of Inside Health Care, Peggy O’Kane, NCQA President, and Dr. Adrienne Mims, former Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Alliant Health Solutions, current health care provider at Jencare Senior Medical Center discuss Dr. Mims’ multifaceted professional background, EHR use, solutions to health disparities and motivating chronically ill patients.
Dr. Mims also addresses how COVID has changed primary care for older patients, the emergence of telehealth and discussing end-of-life issues with patients.
Don’t forget to check out NCQA’s upcoming...2020-10-2038 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #49: NCQA’s Dr. Mary Barton on the Peer Review Process During COVID-19In this episode of Inside Health Care, NCQA’s Dr. Mary Barton, Vice President of Performance, chats with Matt Brock, NCQA Communications Director, about the implications of two major study retractions from prestigious medical journals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Barton talks about the level of expertise needed to review journal articles, ensuring data quality standards and the incentive for journals to publish groundbreaking studies first.
Dr. Barton also discusses how the novelty of COVID-19 is affecting the peer review process, the development and implementation of scientific knowledge and the challenges and benefits of collecting el...2020-10-0626 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #48: The Policy Primer – Taskforce on Telehealth Policy – Part II We return to the Policy Primer for this edition of Inside Health Care.
The aim is to explain complex health care issues in a simple, readily understandable way for policy experts… and others who may not be brushed up on the details.
NCQA’s Director of Federal Affairs Paul Cotton joins us again to talk about the Taskforce on Telehealth Policy and it’s efforts to map a future for the newly embraced way of delivering care.
The committee releases its final report today. You can check it out at
bit.ly/TTPFinalReport.
2020-09-1514 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #47: The Policy Primer – Taskforce on Telehealth Policy – Part I
There’s something new for this edition of “Inside Health Care.”
We’re calling it Policy Primer. We want to explain complex health care issues in a simple, readily understandable way for policy experts… and others who may not be brushed up on the details.
This time, NCQA’s Director of Federal Affairs Paul Cotton joins us to talk about the Taskforce on Telehealth Policy and it’s efforts to map a future for the newly embraced way of delivering care.
The committee releases its final report on September 15, 2020 at 2PM ET.
Register now at bit.ly/Tele...2020-09-1112 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #46: Dr. Daniel Alford on Safer/Competent Opioid Prescribing Education (SCOPE) of Pain ProgramIn this episode of Inside Health Care, Dr. Daniel Alford, Professor of Medicine at Boston University and Director of Safer/Competent Opioid Prescribing Education (SCOPE) of Pain Program chats with Lawrence Green, NCQA Communications Specialist about the SCOPE of Pain Program. SCOPE of Pain is a series of continuing medical education/continuing nursing education activities designed to help health care professionals safely and effectively manage patients with acute and/or chronic pain, when appropriate, with opioid analgesics.
Dr. Alford discusses the inception, goals, focus, and target audience of SCOPE of Pain. Dr. Alford chats about...2020-09-0836 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #45: NCQA’s Peggy O’Kane and Verily Life Sciences’ Dr. Vivian Lee discuss the state of health careIn this episode of Inside Health Care, Peggy O’Kane, NCQA President, and Dr. Vivian Lee, President of Verily Life Sciences, discuss Lee’s book, The Long Fix: Solving America’s Health Care Crisis with Strategies That Work for Everyone. Dr. Lee lays out a concrete plan for paying doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies to keep people healthy while improving care and decreasing patients’ health care costs.
Dr. Lee also talks about her childhood motivations for pursuing medicine, how delivery of care has changed in America and Verily Life Sciences’ cutting-edge, personalized health care products.
Don’...2020-08-2522 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #44: NCQA’s Wendy Talbot on the HEDIS® Compliance Audit™ process and the Data Aggregator Validation pilot programIn this episode of Inside Health Care, Wendy Talbot, Assistant Vice President, Measure Collection & Audit and Lawrence Green, Communications Specialist, discuss the NCQA HEDIS Compliance Audit process and NCQA’s Data Aggregator Validation (DAV) pilot program.
The Compliance Audit helps ensure accurate, reliable data can be used by employers, consumers and government to compare health plans.. The DAVpilot program seeks to validate data aggregators that collect electronic clinical data from multiple sources to share with healthcare organizations as validated standard supplemental data for use in HEDIS and other quality measure reporting.
In this ep...2020-08-1123 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #43: Introducing Dr. Brad Ryan, NCQA Chief Product OfficerIn this episode of Inside Health Care, Dr. Brad Ryan, NCQA’s new Chief Product Officer, and Matt Brock, NCQA Communications Director, discuss Brad’s experience and background in science, engineering and technology, and his mission to evolve NCQA’s existing product portfolio and launch new products in the digital space.
Dr. Ryan also talks about how collecting and using EHRs more readily could improve the quality of care and shares his vision of NCQA as a thought leader in determining the future of telehealth policies.
2020-07-2835 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #42: Scott Meyer, Summit Medical Group’s PCMH SuccessIn this episode of “Inside Health Care,” Scott Meyer, Executive Director of Value Based Care Operations at Summit Medical Group (SMG) in Tennessee and Matt Brock, NCQA Communications Director, discuss how NCQA’s Recognized Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Program transformed SMG’s more than 70 practices.
Scott examines how NCQA’s PCMH Recognition program helped SMG quickly adapt to serve the needs of patients during the pandemic. He talks about how the Recognition program shares a “universal language”that aligns with CMS, and the financial benefits of delivering value-based care. Scott also divulges that he was not a big fan...2020-07-1427 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #41: Peggy O’Kane on Telehealth PolicyIn this episode of “Inside Health Care,” Peggy O’Kane, NCQA President, and Frank Micciche, NCQA VP of Public Policy and Communications, discuss how NCQA plans to help shape telehealth policy as it becomes the dominant form of care delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Peggy and Frank discuss the Taskforce on Telehealth Policy—convened by NCQA, the Alliance for Connected Care and the American Telemedicine Association—which is leading the effort to develop recommendations for maximizing telehealth’s benefits while maintaining high standards for access, efficacy, quality, patient safety and program integrity. They also examine telehealth p...2020-07-0924 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #40 (Special Release), Standing With the Black Community
We want to make sure you don’t miss this. It’s an important edition of “Inside Health Care”.
Last week, NCQA issued a statement about the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
The full statement is posted on our website.
But here’s a small excerpt:
“These terrible losses in succession, followed by violence against peaceful protesters, are unfortunately part of a larger picture of law enforcement aggression and racial profiling of Black Americans dating back generations. Advances in technology, such as cell phones, have brought awareness of these pra...2020-06-1618 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #39: COVID, Telehealth & Quality: What’s Now, What’s Next? (Part II)In this episode of “Inside Health Care,” Peggy O’Kane, NCQA President, moderates an expert panel discussion to explore how health plans, systems and clinicians are using telehealth to respond to COVID-19 and how challenges and opportunities identified during the pandemic might inform the future.
Panelists are Dr. Yul Ejnes, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University; Kerry Palakanis, Executive Director of Connect Care Operations, Intermountain Healthcare; Dr. Hoangmai Pham, Vice President of Provider Alignment Solutions, Anthem; and Dr. Michelle Schreiber, Director of the Quality Measurement and Value Based Incentives Group...2020-06-0917 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #38: COVID, Telehealth & Quality: What’s Now, What’s Next? (Part I)In this episode of “Inside Health Care,” Peggy O’Kane, NCQA President, moderates an expert panel discussion to explore how health plans, systems and clinicians are using telehealth to respond to COVID-19 and how challenges and opportunities identified during the pandemic might inform the future.
Panelists are Dr. Yul Ejnes, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University; Kerry Palakanis, Executive Director of Connect Care Operations, Intermountain Healthcare; Dr. Hoangmai Pham, Vice President of Provider Alignment Solutions, Anthem; and Dr. Michelle Schreiber, Director of the Quality Measurement and Value Based Incentives Group...2020-06-0236 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #37: Dr. Michael Barr on Telehealth and COVID-19Dr. Michael Barr, Executive Vice President, Quality Measurement and Research Group
In this episode of “Inside Health Care,” Dr. Michael Barr, NCQA Executive Vice President, Quality Measurement and Research Group, and Matt Brock, NCQA Communications Director, discuss how telehealth has transformed the delivery of care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Barr discusses his experiences with telemedicine and how primary care practices are adjusting to this new reality.
We also discuss the direction of NCQA during this time. Learn about newly enacted policies for NCQA staff, contractors and events due to the Coronavirus here: https://www.ncqa...2020-05-0415 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #0036: Peggy O’Kane on COVID-19In 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...2020-04-1321 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #0035: Delia Brand, Alabama Area Agencies on AgingIn 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 t...2020-04-0118 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #0034: NCQA’s 2019-2020 PCMH CCE Quality Award HonoreesIn 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.
2020-03-1013 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #0033: NCQA Innovation Award WinnersIn 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...2020-02-2523 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care #0032: Katharine Iskrant, On ECDSIn 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...2020-02-1127 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #0030: Peggy O’Kane, New Year’s Excitement, Concerns, and ResolutionsOn this episode of “Inside Health Care,” Peggy O’Kane, NCQA President, and Frank Micciche, NCQA VP of Public Affairs and Communications, discuss challenges and exciting developments in health care and at NCQA in 2020.
Peggy talks about the role technology companies will play in health care and voices her excitement (and concerns) about who will provide health insurance options in the future. Peggy also discusses NCQA’s recent reorganization and efforts to recruit a Chief Product Officer and Director of New Products, the future of the Affordable Care Act, NCQA’s recent sickle cell disease research…...2020-01-1730 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #028: Peggy O’Kane, Health Care HeroesIn this episode of “Inside Health Care,” Peggy O’Kane, NCQA President, and Frank Micciche, NCQA VP of Public Affairs and Communications, begin with a discussion about the concept of “quality-adjusted life year (QALY)” and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s bill proposing new health care legislation that would require providers and insurers to spend more on primary care and behavioral health in that state.
Peggy also discusses her health care heroes and her commitment to meditation, and touches on the beginnings of NCQA.
Click the link to listen to their conversation. Don’t forget to rate2019-12-0226 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #027: Philip Saynisch, PhD, NCQA Torda FellowOn this episode of Inside Health Care, we speak with Philip Saynisch, PhD, NCQA’s 2019 Phyllis Torda Health Care Quality Fellowship recipient and recent Harvard University graduate. He discusses his background, the current focus of his research and how he learned about the Phyllis Torda Health Care Quality Fellowship. Dr. Saynisch’s work aims to identify performance drivers for health care organizations and providers, and how performance can change over time.
Philip Saynisch, PhD, NCQA Torda Fellow
The Phyllis Torda Health Care Quality Fellowship Program enables NCQA to train a new generation of health care...2019-11-1819 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #026: Peggy O’Kane, Health Care PolicyOn this episode of “Inside Health Care,” Peggy O’Kane, NCQA President, and Frank Micciche, NCQA VP of Public Affairs and Communications, discuss the unintended consequences of crafting health care policy.
Topics in this episode range from President Trump changing kick-back rules for health care providers, to the systemization of health care delivery, to lessons from the passage of the Affordable Care Act, to EHRs and what it takes to build a better health care system.
Click the link to listen to their conversation. Don’t forget to rate us!
2019-10-3025 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #025: Dr. Frank Illuzzi, CityMDWith over 120 sites, CityMD is the leading urgent care provider in the New York metropolitan area and has earned NCQA Patient-Centered Connected Care Recognition for all of its eligible urgent care centers in New York, New Jersey and Seattle, Washington.
Dr. Frank Illuzzi, CityMD
NCQA took a road trip to CityMD headquarters, to talk about how it coordinates care between patients, specialists and primary care physicians.
In this episode of Inside Health Care, guest host Paige Cook, NCQA’s Director of Business Development, talks with Dr. Frank Illuzzi, CityMD’s Chief Medical Offi...2019-10-2315 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #023: Peggy O’Kane, HHS Quality Summit
NCQA President Peggy O’Kane discusses her appointment to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Quality Summit group. Peggy is serving among some of the nation’s top health care policy leaders to advise the government on the challenges ahead and the proposed solutions to address them. NCQA Public Policy Vice President Frank Micciche asks the questions. The two also discuss the on-again, off-again controversial proposals to assign each American with a number–a unique patient identifier.
2019-10-0226 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #021: NCQA’s Peggy O’Kane, Digital Quality SummitOn this edition of “Inside Health Care” we catch up with NCQA Founder and President, Peggy O’ Kane at the Digital Quality Summit in Boston, Massachusetts. O’Kane visits with NCQA Asst. Vice President Andy Reynolds, External Relations. They discuss the Summit, the future of Digital Quality and much more.
Please be sure to give us a rating on your podcast player to help us increase the reach of “Inside Health Care”. You’ll want to subscribe to the podcast, too. We feature experts from across the health care industry with short, timely and relevant i...2019-07-2221 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #018: Digital Quality Summit PreviewIn 2017 NCQA hosted its first Digital Quality Summit, a unique (and niche) conference that focused on issues of implementing digital quality measures. Participants at that first summit comprised a handful of interested health IT wonks and others deep in the weeds of the subject.
But to our surprise, the 2018 audience was a larger, more diverse gathering of tech gurus, health care professionals and policy experts—and tickets sold out.
On July 16–18, we’ll be in Boston, Massachusetts, for the 2019 Digital Quality Summit, which has become the premiere health IT conference of the year.
...2019-06-0423 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #015: NCQA’s Peggy O’KaneOn this edition of “Inside Health Care” we catch up with NCQA Founder and President, Peggy O’ Kane.
There’s plenty to talk about. Most of this conversation concentrates on the technology revolution already underway in terms of health data collection and analysis. She points out quality improvement’s role in the revolution and what it means for the industry’s future.
Please be sure to come back here afterwards and tell us what you think about the interview and Peggy’s take on what lies ahead.
You’ll want to subscrib...2019-04-0224 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #014: Sheila Shapiro, Coding Social DeterminantsNCQA’s podcast Inside Health Care is back with a topic making a lot of news recently: ICD-10 diagnostic codes that capture social determinants of health.
In this episode, Matt Brock, NCQA’s Director of Communications, chats with Sheila Shapiro, UnitedHealthcare’s (UHC) Vice President for National Strategic Partnerships. Sheila talks about UHC’s efforts to promote these new codes.
Medicare providers can use them to target codes for social issues? Lack of healthy food choices? Limited transportation? You bet they can. Capturing these data will let providers address their patients’ needs and recommend...2019-03-2618 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #013: Paul Gionfriddo, Mental Health AmericaIt’s hard for me to remember a time when I wasn’t struggling with mental health issues. It’s even harder for me a remember a time when I wasn’t ashamed to talk about it. Even now, I still fear the reaction this kind of admission might invite from friends and professional peers. That’s why I am pleased and honored to interview Paul Gionfriddo for this edition of Inside Health Care.
Paul is President and CEO of Mental Health America (MHA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing the needs of people living with menta...2019-03-0523 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #012: Andrew Anderson, Torda Fellow on Accountable CareIn this episode of our podcast, Inside Health Care, NCQA Director of Communications, Matt Brock, spoke with Andrew Anderson, NCQA’s Phyllis Torda Health Care Quality Fellowship recipient. Anderson discusses his background and future plans, and how he learned about the Phyllis Torda Health Care Quality Fellowship.
Anderson, a PhD candidate at the University of Maryland, also discusses his new paper, ACO Affiliated Hospitals Increase Implementation of Care Coordination Strategies, which he recently co-authored and published in Medical Care. The Affordable Care Act provided incentives for hospitals, doctors and other providers to join ACOs and wo...2019-03-0415 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #011: Ted Abernathy, MD, Patient-Centered Medical NeighborhoodDr. Ted Abernathy
In this edition of our podcast, Inside Healthcare, NCQA traveled to Midlothian, Virginia, to speak to Dr. Ted Abernathy, founder of Pediatric and Adolescent Health Partners, a NCQA-Recognized Patient-Centered Medical Home.
In this podcast, Dr. Abernathy discusses how this care helps enhance clinicians’ responsiveness, significantly reduces patient stress, and improves cohesiveness among staff.
Dr. Abernathy also chats about his experience working with NCQA during the transformation process. He also offers advice to providers hesitant to make the leap toward becoming a NCQA-Recognized Patient-Centered Medical Home.
Listen to Dr. Ab...2019-02-0716 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #010: Liz Salmi, OpenNotesQuality Talks 2018 sneaked up on us quickly—it’s just a few weeks away! And here’s a “sneak” peek at one of our electrifying Quality Talks speakers, Liz Salmi. Unlike a lot of our speakers, who knew right away they wanted to be involved in medicine, Liz followed a different path. You could say that getting sick sparked her interest in health care: She has been living with brain cancer for 10 years.
Straight out of high school, Liz went on cross-country as a drummer in a punk rock band. And after the tour, she channeled...2018-10-1021 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #009: Not Just a PediatricianIn this week’s edition of our podcast, Inside Healthcare, NCQA traveled to Midlothian, Virginia, to speak to patients at Pediatric and Adolescent Health Partners, an NCQA-Recognized Patient-Centered Medical Home.
We sat down with Angela Ogden, a teacher and single mother of three.
Angela Ogden
Angela has one biological child and two adopted children. Her two adopted children, Christine and Ariel, both 16, have special needs.
“With their level of need, I knew we needed someone who’d understand and be able to help with kids with special needs,” said Angela.
This l...2018-07-2709 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #008: Do Doctors Ask Patients, “How Much Do You Drink?”Excessive alcohol use is a leading cause of preventable death, but when it comes to screening for alcohol use and providing the right follow-up care, there is large gap in care.
The National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA) researched this issue and found a shortage of screening for misuse of alcohol. But when screenings do take place – like when doctors ask their patients about their drinking habits – we found many patients who need help are not identified or followed-up with appropriately. However there are strategies, such as the routine use of recommended screening tools to impr...2018-07-2626 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #007: Emory Transplant CenterThe Emory Transplant Center has been recognized as the first transplant center in the nation to receive the Patient-Centered Specialty Practice (PCSP) Recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). For this episode of Inside Health Care, Matt Brock, National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA) Communications Director spoke with Chris Diasio and Dr. James Spivey of the Emory Transplant Center. Both guests discuss how they became interested in NCQA’s PCSP Recognition Program and how it aligns with the Transplant Center’s mission. Dr. Spivey and Mr. Diasio also discuss how feedback has improved from patients and ho...2018-07-1918 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #004: Tricia Barrett, Managing Population HealthWhat does it mean to create a healthy population? It means not just treating patients for their specific illnesses but taking into account their whole health – the other factors that might contribute to their particular illness – then applying that kind of care to a group of people with similar health needs. It’s that whole-person delivery of care that NCQA has been advocating and working toward since its inception more than 25 years ago.
NCQA recently added Population Health Management (PHM) as a new category of standards in our 2018 Health Plan Accreditation (HPA) program.
Inside...2018-03-1412 min
Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQAInside Health Care Episode #002: Mary Barton, MD, Breast Cancer ScreeningBreast Cancer Awareness Month began in 1985 to promote mammography as the most effective weapon in the fight against breast cancer.
As a result of this awareness effort, more women are getting screened. But we still have a long way to go to ensure every woman gets a recommended mammogram at the right time.
How do we ensure screenings happen at the right time?
As we like to say, NCQA has a measure for that. Our HEDIS measure for Breast Cancer Screening tracks women 50-74 who had at least one mammogram in...2017-10-1810 min