The annual Montgomery Cares Clinical Performance Measures Report is out for FY22, and it points to continued improvement in the quality of care provided by the Montgomery Cares (MCares) network. The report, which includes 8 measures of chronic care and prevention tracked by MCares and partner clinics, includes those related to diabetes, hypertension, and cancer and depression screening. The report reflects positively on the steps taken by the patient population to manage their health as well as the diligent and innovative work the clinics undertake every day.
“There can be significant improvements in health care when there is a system of clinics that can work together in a network,” said Leslie Graham, the Primary Care Coalition’s (PCC) President and Chief Executive Officer. “The system allows these clinics to learn from each other, deliver care in multiple ways, and implement what produces the best results for their patient populations. That is what the Primary Care Coalition does best – we collect and monitor data and facilitate the conversations that bring about improvements and results."
Where possible, quality measures are benchmarked to the federal Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS). In FY22, measures of breast cancer screening, diabetes control, and hypertension control were all above the HEDIS target, and hypertension control had improved from below the benchmark in FY21.
Sara Limpert Woods, the Director of Clinical and Practice Transformation for the PCC, monitors the performance measures and leads quarterly Quality Health Improvement Committee meetings among MCares clinic medical directors and quality improvement staff. When considering areas to target for improvement, she plans to take a closer look not just at areas of statistically significant disparity among patients by race, ethnicity, or gender, but at the size of the potential impact. Her hope is to prioritize those where decreasing disparities will improve health for the largest numbers of patients.
“Clinics are eager to create health improvements for their patients, and they have an appetite to learn from each other,” Woods said. “It is exciting to see them providing the highest quality care for a very vulnerable population. These clinics are making a huge impact.”
“There can be significant improvements in health care when there is a system of clinics that can work together in a network,” said Leslie Graham, the Primary Care Coalition’s (PCC) President and Chief Executive Officer. “The system allows these clinics to learn from each other, deliver care in multiple ways, and implement what produces the best results for their patient populations. That is what the Primary Care Coalition does best – we collect and monitor data and facilitate the conversations that bring about improvements and results."
Where possible, quality measures are benchmarked to the federal Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS). In FY22, measures of breast cancer screening, diabetes control, and hypertension control were all above the HEDIS target, and hypertension control had improved from below the benchmark in FY21.
Sara Limpert Woods, the Director of Clinical and Practice Transformation for the PCC, monitors the performance measures and leads quarterly Quality Health Improvement Committee meetings among MCares clinic medical directors and quality improvement staff. When considering areas to target for improvement, she plans to take a closer look not just at areas of statistically significant disparity among patients by race, ethnicity, or gender, but at the size of the potential impact. Her hope is to prioritize those where decreasing disparities will improve health for the largest numbers of patients.
“Clinics are eager to create health improvements for their patients, and they have an appetite to learn from each other,” Woods said. “It is exciting to see them providing the highest quality care for a very vulnerable population. These clinics are making a huge impact.”
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