FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joe Martin, Communications Director
717-232-6787 or
Harrisburg, PA – April 04, 2008 — According to a new report by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4), Pennsylvania HMOs on average performed better than or equal to the national HMO average in 14 out of 17 “Staying Healthy” measures, which show how well the HMOs are providing preventive care to their members. The three measures for which Pennsylvania HMOs had lower rates than their national counterparts were breast cancer screening, colon cancer screening and annual monitoring for patients on long-term medications.
“This report provides the public with information about how their HMOs are doing and how they compare to each other and to state and national benchmarks,” said David Kreider, PHC4's Chairman. “HMOs operating in Pennsylvania have been doing a good job of providing services to their members for the prevention and early detection of health problems.”
Produced annually by PHC4, Measuring the Quality of Pennsylvania's Commercial HMOs examines the quality of care that HMO networks offer. The report, which includes data from Calendar Year 2006, combines clinical results, preventive measures and member satisfaction information to give purchasers, policymakers and consumers a more complete picture of how well HMOs serve their members.
Enrollment in commercial managed care plans has been steadily decreasing. In 2006, 21.9% (2,309,886) of Pennsylvanians under age 65 were enrolled in such plans, compared to 39.2% (4,062,401) in 2000.
PHC4 is an independent state agency charged with addressing the cost and quality of health care in Pennsylvania. Copies of the new report are free and are available on the PHC4 website at http://www.phc4.org or by calling PHC4 at 717-232-6787.
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