BUS FPX 4123 Assessment 6 Evaluating Current Quality Assurance Efforts

Student Name

Capella University

BUS-FPX4123 Quality Assurance and Risk Management

Prof. Name

Date

National Committee on Quality Assurance & HEDIS

The National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA) is an independent nonprofit organization established in 1990, dedicated to enhancing healthcare quality through various initiatives. One of its key initiatives is the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS), which serves as a yardstick for evaluating the performance of health plans and organizations (NCQA, 2021). NCQA’s mission revolves around improving healthcare quality through the application of quality measures, with HEDIS being a notable achievement. HEDIS encompasses standards across six domains of healthcare, aiding organizations in identifying care gaps and implementing improvements to positively impact people’s lives.

The HEDIS Roadmap for success serves as a tool to gather information about an organization’s information management practices relevant to HEDIS reporting. Although it does not assess the efficiency of an organization’s information systems, completion of the Roadmap is compulsory on an annual basis and forms an integral part of the NCQA HEDIS audit process. The Roadmap provides auditors with essential initial information necessary for a successful audit, requiring organizations to respond accurately and comprehensively to each inquiry.

HEDIS Measures for Cervical Cancer Screenings (CCS)

Cervical Cancer Screenings (CCS) fall under the purview of effectiveness of care in HEDIS measures. According to the American Cancer Society (2021), an estimated 14,480 new cases of invasive cervical cancer were projected in 2021, resulting in 4,290 deaths among affected women. Since the inception of cervical cancer screening measures in 1999, cervical cancer has remained a significant cause of cancer-related deaths among women in the U.S. The guidelines for these measurements were revised in 2013 to align with the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) with the aim of reducing new diagnoses and fatalities (NCQA, 2020).

BUS FPX 4123 Assessment 6 Evaluating Current Quality Assurance Efforts

Cervical Cancer Screening, predominantly conducted through Pap tests, plays a crucial role in detecting precancerous and abnormal cells, facilitating early cancer detection. The USPSTF recommends cytology screening every three years for women aged 21 to 29, while women aged 30 to 65 are advised to undergo the same screening combined with high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) screening every five years (USPSTF, 2018). These additional measures have proven effective in reducing deaths attributed to invasive cervical cancers.

Benefits of Quality

Quality programs such as HEDIS offer a multitude of benefits to patients, communities, and healthcare organizations. Adherence to HEDIS measures is vital for closing care gaps and has contributed to a decrease in death rates associated with cervical cancer. Early detection through screening can lead to less invasive and costly treatments for patients. Surgical interventions for precancerous lesions are generally more economical than treatments for invasive cancers. Moreover, more frequent screenings reduce the risk of recurrence of invasive cervical cancer, thus further lowering healthcare costs (CDC, 2021).

Healthcare organizations benefit from improved health outcomes resulting from smaller care gaps, which in turn enhances the organization’s reputation.

References

American Cancer Society. (2021, January 12). Cervical Cancer Statistics | Key Facts About Cervical Cancer. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cervical-cancer/about/key-statistics.html

CDC. (2021, August 18). Cost-Effectiveness of Cervical Cancer Interventions | Power of Prevention. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/programs-impact/pop/cervical-cancer.htm

National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). (2021, September 16). About NCQA. NCQA. https://www.ncqa.org/about-ncqa/

National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). (2020, December 28). Cervical Cancer Screening. https://www.ncqa.org/hedis/measures/cervical-cancer-screening/

USPSTF. (2018, August 21). Recommendation: Cervical Cancer: Screening | United States Preventive Services Taskforce. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/cervical-cancer-screening

BUS FPX 4123 Assessment 6 Evaluating Current Quality Assurance Efforts