A report recently released by the National Committee for Quality Assurance shows that health care improved significantly, but health-care plans that publicly report their performance have declined. The information was part of NCQA’s annual “The State of Health Care Quality” report, which was produced in conjunction with U.S. News & World Report magazine. Among 289 commercial health plans that reported their data, the average performance improved on 18 of 22 clinical measures. Medicare and Medicaid reported smaller gains. The report shows that as many as 67,000 deaths were prevented to date as a result of quality improvements in the past six years.

Especially notable were improvements in measures related to high blood pressure control (up 4.6 points to 66.8%) and cholesterol control for people with diabetes (up 4.4 points to 64.8%).

“This is a positive trend that can continue indefinitely, but the price is that we have to pay attention and reward accountability,” says Margaret E. O’Kane, NCQA president. “The new mantra for health-care purchasers needs to be, ‘Show us your data.’ Why trust your family’s health to an organization that operates behind closed doors?”

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