QUALITY ASSURANCE: PHYSICIAN INPUT; AMPRA CHANGES NAME
In an effort to formalize practicing physician input intoThis is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
its work, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
announced yesterday the formation of an advisory council. The
19-member Practicing Physician Advisory Council (PPAC) will focus
on three main areas: incorporating physician input into NCQA's
activities, educating providers about the organization's work and
helping NCQA identify areas of managed care containing
opportunities for quality improvement. While physicians have
been represented on the organization's board and committees, this
is the first NCQA "committee specifically designed to tap the
expertise and insights of practicing physicians." The committee
represents a broad spectrum of physicians, including
representatives from the American Academy of Family Physicians,
the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical
Association, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the
California Medical Association (NCQA release, 9/26).
NAME CHANGE: The American Medical Peer Review Association
(AMPRA), the trade association for the nation's quality
improvement organizations, has changed its name to The American
Health Quality Association (AHQA). The association's members
voted for the revised name to reflect its change in mission and
focus from peer review to continuous quality improvement (AMPRA
release, 9/23).