Nonprofit Accrediting Group Releases HMO Performance Data

A watchdog group on Wednesday released data for businesses and consumers seeking to compare the performance of health maintenance organizations on prenatal care and other medical services.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance, the nonprofit accrediting group that grades the quality of half the nation’s HMOs, has packaged on a CD-ROM the performance information of 226 health plans.

The group’s “Quality Compass” performance measures specific areas of care, such as length of maternity stays, childhood immunization rates and cancer screening and can be compared with national and regional averages.

Health plans in the analysis include ones owned by Cigna Corp., FHP International Corp., Prudential Insurance Co. of America, Kaiser Permanente and Mutual of Omaha.

Some big businesses already require health plans with whom they affiliate to seek accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance. The data released Wednesday give companies more detailed information they can share with employees choosing health plans.

Margaret O’Kane, president of the NCQA, said the performance information “provides a powerful incentive for plans to improve and compete on the basis of quality.”

The CD-ROMs will cost from $800 for one with information about 25 plans to $3,200 for one with data on more than 150. Printed reports for four regions of the country will cost $500 apiece.

Because of the cost, consumers will be unlikely to buy it. The NCQA will be marketing the data to businesses, consultants and libraries.