New Quality Data on Local Health Care Providers Now Available Online

(York, Pa.) – Recently, Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) – South Central Pennsylvania released new Coronary heart disease care results for more than 50 health care practices in York and Adams counties. AF4Q – South Central PA is known for conducting the I Can! Challenge, which focused a portion of its 12 week challenge on the need to use quality data.

The results can be found at www.aligning4healthpa.org under the Community Checkup. It’s for both the patient and health care provider to use to help take control of chronic conditions like heart disease.

With the overall goal of improving the quality of health care, AF4Q-South Central PA is focusing on chronic conditions first. On the basis of 2005 mortality rate data, nearly 2,400 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day – an average of 1 death every 37. Within York and Adams counties, approximately 5 of every 100 people have heart disease. Patients need to be able to make informed choices about their own care, and doctors need to know what they can improve upon; this new data will help guide patients and doctors in that direction.

Overall, the data shows how well the doctors’ offices are providing care, and how well patients are participating in their care. Specifically, the results indicate whether the practice and patients have good control of the patients’ blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels. The data also shows the percentages of patients being prescribed a daily aspirin or aspirin alternative, and what percentage of patients had their body mass index checked during the past year. By using this information, patients can see the types of tests that need to be done for chronic conditions, and ensure they are receiving the appropriate tests.

AF4Q-South Central PA’s Project Director Christine Amy states, “Often, patients aren’t sure what they can do to improve their chronic condition. Therefore, the overall goal with releasing the information is to educate patients and help them see what they can be doing to improve their health. One of the first steps a patient can take to improve his or her chronic condition is to strengthen their relationship with their doctor. Having access to this data helps the patient and physician to work better together as a team in controlling the disease.”

Those who volunteered to participate in the Community Checkup were given evidence-based guidelines and supporting medical literature. As part of the guidelines, doctors were asked to identify all patients in their practice who have heart disease, and submit the data to be analyzed and reported. No personal information that could identify patients or individual physicians was shared. Some of the organizations who volunteered to participate include: Family First Health, Hanover Hospital, Memorial Hospital, WellSpan Health, and many independent primary care physicians.

When viewing the data, individuals can see the name, address, and phone number of the practice, as well as the names of the providers and the link to the practice’s Web site.

The information has been designed to benefit everyone from the patient and doctor, to employers and health plans. Doctors can learn from each other, and do a comparison against other practices. Employers should use the information to share with employees and ensure their benefits cover the needs of their employees, and encourage healthy behaviors.

About Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central Pennsylvania
Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central Pennsylvania (AF4Q – South Central PA) is an initiative of Healthy York County Coalition. Since its establishment in 1994, Healthy York County Coalition (HYCC) has worked to bring together stakeholders from across the community and to unite them in health and wellness efforts. Our Aligning Forces for Quality – South Central Pennsylvania initiative created in 2007, works to improve the care that individuals with chronic disease currently receive. It also conducted the I Can! Challenge, a 12-week challenge developed to give people the direction and support for improving their health. For more information on I Can! Challenge, visit www.ICanChallenge.com, and for more details on AF4Q – South Central PA, visit www.aligning4healthpa.org.

About Aligning Forces for Quality
Aligning Forces for Quality, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) initiative, brings together those who get care, give care and pay for care to improve the quality of health care in entire communities. RWJF’s unprecedented commitment of resources, expertise and training is turning proven practices into real results in 15 communities, including Albuquerque, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Humboldt County (Calif.), Kansas City (Mo.), Maine, Memphis, Minnesota, Puget Sound (Wash.), South Central Pennsylvania, West Michigan, Western New York, Willamette Valley (Ore.) and Wisconsin. For more information, log onto www.rwjf.org/qualityequality/af4q.