In 2001, breast cancer will be diagnosed in American women 182,800 times and will cause 40,800 deaths. Managed Care Organizations have an awesome capability to identify, intervene, and analyze the effectiveness of breast cancer preventive services for its female population.
Health Alliance Plan (HAP) has identified a segment of its membership to be monitored for breast cancer screening according to HEDIS@ specifications: female, continuously enrolled for two years, ages 52-69 years, in Commercial and Medicare product lines.
The Plan sought to impact this eligible population with several activities designed to prompt the scheduling of an appointment for a mammogram. Eligible women were sent an initial letter and/or were called to schedule an appointment, then sent a reminder postcard. Primary Care physicians were given panel reports to encourage the scheduling of an appointment. Preliminary analysis revealed that the calling program was most effective in improving mammography rates.
HAP strives to assure the quality of breast cancer preventive services through education and patient-centered interventions. As a part of the Plan’s quality assurance efforts, HAP regularly monitors key quality indicators, for example breast cancer screening rates, data integrity, lead-time, etc., and plans process improvements to address system constraints. HAP’s breast cancer screening program may be used as a model in other Health Maintenance Organizations.
At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to: 1. Compare the effectiveness of several activities to prompt preventive screening compliance. 2. Develop a plan to monitor quality indicators to minimize possible system constraints.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to: 1. Compare the effectiveness of several activities to prompt preventive screening compliance. 2. Develop a plan to monitor quality indicators to minimize possible system constraints.
Keywords: Breast Cancer Screening, Quality Improvement
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Health Alliance Plan (Detroit, Michigan)
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.