HealthChoices.org helps users chose appropriate health plan
With open enrollment season upon us, the National Committee for Quality Assurance's HealthChoices.org website is ready to help consumers select their health care coverage for 2003. Last year, as many as 50,000 people per month visited NCQA's Health Plan Report Card for advice and comparative information about health plans.
NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane said, “Every American should visit HealthChoices.org at least once a year to help select their health coverage. Spending 5 minutes on our website can give you an expert, objective evaluation of the care and service of the health plans you might be considering. The last thing you want to do is to select your family's coverage by crossing your fingers and hoping for the best.”
HealthChoices.org was created to provide consumers with direct access to the Health Plan Report Card, NCQA's on-line resource for free, comprehensive information about the accreditation status and overall quality of the nation's healthcare organizations. HMOs and POS plans receive an overall accreditation status ranging from excellent to denied. Plans also are rated on a 0-4 star system in 5 key categories: access and service, qualified providers, staying healthy, getting better, and living with illness.
People with diabetes also can use HealthChoices.org to find a qualified diabetes physician in their area. The site includes a listing of physicians recognized by the NCQA/American Diabetes Association Diabetes Physician Recognition Program, which rewards physicians who provide high-quality care to this population. NCQA is developing new recognition programs in other disease areas.
HealthChoices.org also links visitors to “Which Health Plan Is Right For Me?” a consumer brochure that explains the accreditation process and includes advice about which factors to consider when selecting a health plan, such as whether or not their physician or hospital is in a particular plan's network, out-of-pocket costs, and general policies and procedures.
A private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality, NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and manages the evolution of Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS), the performance measurement tool used by more than 90% of U.S. health plans. NCQA encourages media outlets to link to HealthChoices.org. No special permissions are required to do so.
Abbott launches website for rheumatoid arthritis
Abbott Laboratories has launched www.RA.com, an interactive website featuring the latest news, lifestyle issues, and resources for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their caregivers. RA is a debilitating condition that causes pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints and ultimately can lead to disability and early death. Current news and information about the disease and access to available resources are important for patients diagnosed with RA. This site focuses exclusively on RA and is designed to help patients and their caregivers take a more active role in their care and manage both the emotional and physical aspects of their disease. In addition, a unique feature to this site is the regular updates of current news that pertains to people with RA and those who care for them.
Site features include RA facts and disease data, tips for recognizing RA, disease management tools, lifestyle issues/coping tips, on-line catalog featuring products to make living with RA easier, resource links, and links to rheumatology specialists and organizations dedicated to helping people with RA.
2003 FluSTAR surveillance system tracks influenza in local areas
Roche has launched FluSTAR, a surveillance system that provides timely and reliable reporting of flu activity on a regional and nationwide basis. FluSTAR, which stands for the System for Tracking And Reporting Flu, provides information on influenza activity that can help physicians diagnose influenza illness and initiate appropriate and timely prescribing of antiviral therapy. In addition, the information from FluSTAR allows consumers to know when flu has hit an area so they may seek earlier medical attention.
The program, codeveloped by Roche and Surveillance Data, Inc. (SDI), who operates the system, is unique because it provides a quick and more localized measurement of influenza disease than some laboratory culture-based surveillance networks. The most powerful component of the FluSTAR system is a rapid flu test that detects influenza antigen in an outpatient setting. It is the only surveillance system that combines the results of a rapid flu test with 3 other data components to measure flu activity in a local area.
FluSTAR is a more timely supplement to existing laboratory-based coverage and can provide regional coverage when timely information on influenza activity is not available. This flu season, physicians and patients can log on to www.flustar.com to determine the location and spread of influenza in local areas across the country.
Upgrade enhances access to melanoma information
Melanoma.com, recognized by the Journal of Clinical Oncology as 1 of the top 5 internet sites for accurate melanoma content, has been enhanced to help answer questions and address other concerns for individuals who are looking for a reliable source of current information about the disease.
The number of new melanomas diagnosed in the United States is increasing. Since 1973, the incidence rate (the number of new melanomas diagnosed per 100,000 people each year) has more than doubled, rising from 5.7 to 14.31. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 53,000 Americans will be diagnosed with the disease this year. Although melanoma accounts for only about 4% of all skin cancers, it causes most of the deaths associated with these diseases.
The content of the melanoma website has been updated, providing more in-depth discussions of a full range of topics, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management. For example, the site contains a thorough description of sentinel lymph node biopsy and includes the 2001 staging guidelines by the American Joint Committee on Cancer. Treatment options for each stage of the disease are also discussed. Other specific topics covered include a definition of melanoma and how it develops, a description of the various types of skin cancer and how they differ, and the diagnostic tests. Many sections are accompanied by pictures, diagrams, tables, and other figures designed to aid understanding by the user.
Melanoma.com is provided as a free community service by pharmaceutical company Schering-Plough. The website can be accessed at www.melanoma.com.
On-line tool helps employers improve health plans
Evaluating the Impact of Value-Based Purchasing Initiatives: A Guide for Purchasers is a guide that encourages formal evaluations of value-based buying activities and provides a highly detailed, step-by-step process that employers can adapt for their programs.
Developed for the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality by Dennis P. Scanlon, PhD, a Pennsylvania State University professor, the guide helps users define their organization's value-based buying and goals; determine the necessity, appropriateness, and feasibility of an evaluation; choose a research design to assess impact; implement the research; and summarize the results and interpret the implications. The guide is available at www.ahrq.gov/about/cods/valuebased/index.html.
CIGNA on-line service allows members to comparison shop for prescriptions
To help members make more informed decisions about their prescription drugs, CIGNA HealthCare has created an on-line service that will enable some 14 million consumers to comparison shop for prescription drugs over the Internet. PharmaAdvisor will let consumers make side-by-side comparisons among prescription drugs—their costs, alternatives, and side effects—and enable them to have more informed discussions with doctors about their options in selecting medications.
Eric S. Elliott, senior vice president of CIGNA HealthCare Pharmacy Management, said, “This gives consumers the kind of information they're clearly looking for. It takes some of the mystery out of prescription drugs by giving people the information they need to make side-by-side comparisons of medications used to treat specific conditions.”
An expansion of www.mycigna.com, PharmaAdvisor includes information on 11,000 generic, brand name, and over-the-counter drugs. As it rolls out in 2003, the tool will provide comparison information for drugs used to treat such specific conditions as acid reflux disease, allergies, depression, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, osteoarthritis, asthma, diabetes, ear infections, and migraine headaches.
MayoClinic.com tops website credibility ratings
MayoClinic.com was identified as consumers' favorite health site in a recent credibility study. Experts echoed these high marks by ranking MayoClinic.com second of the 10 health information sites analyzed.
Consumer WebWatch teamed up with Stanford University's Technology Lab and Sliced Bread Design LLC to conduct a 2-part study—the largest to date, they claim—to investigate and compare how consumers and experts determine credibility of health-related websites. The researchers discovered that experts focus on sources and credentials, whereas consumers mainly judged a site based on its attractiveness and ease-of-use.
The study results indicated the best sources of health information are reputable, nonprofit sources with no agenda or bias other than the distribution of information. It encouraged Web surfers to carefully evaluate the source of information on sites, including authors, credentials, and the date information was posted. To view the study in its entirety, visit www.consumerwebwatch.org.
Two clearinghouses offer workers' compensation information
First, Business & Legal Reports offers a website for users seeking workers' compensation information; registration is required but free. Pages include compensation and benefits, fair employment practices, HR management, leave management, staffing, and training. The site features workers' compensation news, tools, and other resources on ADA, disabilities, insurance, ergonomics, FMLA, sick leave, Social Security, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Visit the site at hr2.blr.com/subcategory.cfm?subcategory=76&source=miq&effort=196.
Second, workerscompensation.com bills itself as the “comprehensive resource connection,” offering a national referral and information network. Pages on this site are divided into centers—insurance, job, safety, and business centers. The site features links and resources for every state in the union.
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