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Washington, DC - The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recently reached a major milestone when it recognized its 10,000th physician for high-quality care. NCQA's voluntary Physician Recognition programs evaluate physicians and physician practices based on evidence-based measures of quality care and practice standards. Since the introduction of the first recognition program in 1997, patients, employers and health plans have come to rely on these programs as a basis upon which to identify and reward top-performing practices. They have also served as a valuable practice improvement tool for physician practices and form the basis for many of the pay for performance programs in the U.S.

NCQA recognizes physicians for consistently providing evidence-based care to patients with diabetes, cardiovascular conditions and low back pain. Two additional programs, Physician Practice Connections and Physician Practice Connections – Patient-Centered Medical Home recognize physician groups for using clinical information systems and systematic processes to enhance care for all of their patients.

"'Who's the best doctor for me?' is one of the most elemental questions a patient asks. Traditionally that question has been answered through word of mouth," said NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane. "NCQA's recognition programs give patients and purchasers objective data on which to make these critical decisions. It's heartening to see so many health care professionals, health plans, and employers embrace this concept."

NCQA recognition programs are used throughout the country by independent organizations, health plans and specialty societies to differentiate physicians who have taken the extra step to prove they provide high-quality care. Some employers and health plans use NCQA Recognition as a basis for making incentive payments to top-performing practices. Bridges to Excellence, one of the largest P4P efforts in the country, uses NCQA's programs to qualify physicians for rewards. Several of the nation's leading health plans use the recognition programs in a variety of ways, including identifying recognized physicians in provider directories, supporting data collection efforts, designing provider networks and making direct incentive payments to physicians. NCQA recognized physicians practice in 46 states, including 18 states with more than 100 participating physicians. The largest concentrations of recognized physicians are in California, North Carolina and Massachusetts. In California alone, more than 1,800 physicians hold Physician Practice Connections recognition, in large part due to efforts of employers and health plans to promote the use of information technology and data sharing.

In Colorado, 71 physicians with the Colorado Permanente Medical Group earned recognition in the Diabetes Physician Recognition Program. "The Colorado Permanente Medical Group shares NCQA's commitment to improving the care of patients with diabetes," said Michael Chase, MD, associate medical director of quality for Kaiser Permanente Colorado. "We applaud this positive recognition for physicians whose care reaches the highest level of performance. In the end, the patients are the ones who benefit."

NCQA's recognition programs are also used by medical specialty societies to help physicians maintain certification. Under an agreement with the American Board of Internal Medicine, physicians can complete a diabetes Performance Improvement Module (PIM) that will allow them to simultaneously renew their ABIM certificate and seek recognition from NCQA. Additionally, the American Board of Family Medicine and NCQA have an agreement under which ABFM members recognized for quality care through NCQA's physician recognition programs will also receive credit towards their Maintenance of Certification for Family Physicians (MC-FP).

NCQA currently recognizes physicians in five programs:

• Diabetes Physician Recognition Program (DPRP), co-sponsored by the American Diabetes Association;
• Heart/Stroke Recognition Program (HSRP), co-sponsored by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association,
• Back Pain Recognition Program (BPRP),
• Physician Practice Connections (PPC),
• Physician Practice Connections—Patient-Centered Medical Home (PPC-PCMH).

SOURCE: National Committee for Quality Assurance