(NCQA: Washington) -- The National Committee for Quality Assurance has unveiled for public comment the first set of quality measures to assess disease management clinical outcomes. When finalized, the 12 measures, covering five chronic disease areas, will allow employers, health plans, consumers, and others to evaluate the performance of disease management organizations. Disease-management programs are designed to mitigate the symptoms or effects of chronic conditions and slow disease progression. NCQA has long assessed the performance of disease management companies through its accreditation and certification programs. The addition of these new quality measures will significantly expand the market’s ability to judge the value of disease management and compare organizations’ effect on patients. “More than 50 million Americans live with one or more chronic conditions. Disease management can be an effective way of improving the quality of their health and lives. Yet we know far too little about the effectiveness of these programs,” says NCQA executive vice president L. Gregory Pawlson, M.D., MPH. “By using measures of clinical quality, we will expand what we know about disease management organizations, helping those who make contracting decisions make informed choices.” The proposed measures address five major disease categories: asthma, ischemic vascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, diabetes, and heart failure. The measures will examine whether patients are getting the right treatment and procedures in managing their lifestyles and reducing risk. For example, one measure will determine whether patients with ischemic vascular disease are controlling their blood pressure appropriately. The measures and topic areas are available for review on NCQA’s web site, www.ncqa.org, through September 3. Following public comment, NCQA will conduct field testing of the measures and will consider incorporating the measures into its disease management accreditation and certification programs. For more information, visit www.ncqa.org/tabid/800/Default.aspx.