UnitedHealth Group has announced the implementation of new defining standards for physician performance assessment that have been developed by The Ambulatory care Quality Alliance (the Alliance), a collaborative group consisting of physicians, purchasers, government, and other influential parties.

Improving Measurement and Reporting

The goal of the Alliance is to identify how to most effectively and efficiently improve performance measurement, data aggregation and reporting in the ambulatory care setting. The Alliance focused on developing a starter set of measures for ambulatory care; a model for aggregating, sharing, and stewarding data; and critical steps for reporting to physicians, consumers and purchasers. The consensus Ambulatory care Quality Alliance performance measures, approved on April 28, 2005, include:

• Prevention measures such as breast, colorectal, and cervical cancer screenings, and vaccinations against influenza and pneumonia
• Heart disease measures, including appropriate drug therapy for coronary artery disease, and heart failure management
• Diabetes management indicators such as HbA1C testing, and blood pressure and lipid control
• Asthma pharmacologic treatment
• Depression identification and appropriate medication management
• Evaluation of overuse and misuse of resources, such as the appropriate use of antibiotics in children with upper respiratory infections and pharyngitis