News

Health Net Voices Local Approach to Quality Improvement at NCQA Summit

Date: 11/16/23

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) held its Innovation Summit the week of October 23, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. The Summit called on some of America's largest health plans and health networks that help to lead quality reform and expand focus on the future of health care innovation. The summit was comprised of groups from:

• Health plans
• Technology vendors
• Health Systems
• Consult services
• Government agencies

The conference featured breakout sessions and high-caliber speakers from around the country. And Health Net was on full display.

Health Net’s Vice President of Quality Management, Cathi Misquitta, Quality Improvement Director, Amy Wittig and Senior Manager of Quality, Shekinah Wright were on-hand to share their knowledge of healthcare quality improvement. Their session titled, A Hyper-Local, Targeted Approach to Improving Quality, was part of the Results Through Relationships track at the summit.

More than 180 people attended the session which focused on details of Quality EDGE (Evaluating Data to Generate Excellence), and how it’s used to improve healthcare. Quality EDGE is a program that Health Net designed to better engage with our providers for quality improvement. Its structured process is based on teamwork and synergy to:

• Define main action items
• Create and maintain a best-practices playbook
• Work with providers and gauge how ready they are to change processes and improve outcomes
• Apply change
• Track action plans and outcomes

Quality EDGE funding initiatives have covered:

• Provider call campaigns
• New equipment, supplies and materials
• Health education
• Marketing campaigns
• Office staff training
• After-hours office visits
• Enhanced EHR systems
• Planning mobile mammography sessions and more

In fact, in 2022 more than 200 Quality EDGE action items were funded.

The Health Net session was part of the larger summit which stressed six key pillars to healthcare quality success:

1. Making data useful
   Ways in which companies have made data simpler to access, more detailed and available to measure what matters.
2. NCQA in action
   Information from NCQA clients about how they applied NCQA products/programs and used them to improve process and patient care.
3. Results through relationships
   Details from companies that formed strong and prolific partnerships that improved the life and health for the people they serve.
4. Driving digital quality
   How companies manage their move to the digital quality needs of their total workforce that includes:
   • Data
   • IT
   • Quality improvement
   • Quality reporting
   • Contracting
   • Clinical teams
5. Quality innovation
   Cutting-edge ways to engage patients, deliver care, and improve quality through:
   • New technologies
   • Unique care models
   • Forward-thinking quality programs
6. In pursuit of equity
   Companies’ wins and challenges. And finding ways to apply what they learned to your own efforts.

Health Net’s involvement at the conference helped highlight us as an industry thought leader. It also defined us as a valued NCQA partner – Helping to drive quality improvement and health equity forward.