August 2005

DC named to NCQA committee

John J. Triano, DC, PhD, of the Texas Back Center, has been named as one of the 15 members of the Spine Care Advisory Panel, a committee convened by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The panel will identify physicians who provide high quality, patient-centered care for chronic back pain.

The 15-member Spine Care Advisory Committee will guide the recognition program, which will be launched in late 2006.

Using Medicare data, researchers from Dartmouth showed that the treatment of back pain varies greatly from one part of the country to another. Spinal fusion srger shows the greatest variation from place to place of any surgery in the country.

The variations indicate an inappropriate regional bias in determining the care a patient receives, says NCQA. The variations also indicate that not all care is consistent with best practices that define optimal care. The new NCQA “Spine Care Recognition Program” is designed to promote evidence-based medicine and involve patients in making decisions about the best treatment for them.

The Spine Care Advisory Panel brings together researchers, employers, health plans, and disability insurers. The committee will provide input on the new reconition program, give advice on approprirate, evidence-based performance measures, and serve as a forum for promoting and building consensus for the new program.

In addition to Triano, the committee consists of Richard Deyo, MD, University of Washington, Dept. of Medicine; Gunnar Andersson, MD, PhD, Rush University Medical Center; Douglas Dammrose, MD, BlueCross of Idaho; David Deitz, MD, PhD, Liberty Mutual Insurance; Peter Gerzten, MD, MPH, University of Pittsburgh, Dept. of Neurological Surgery; Jordan Ginsburg, MD, UnitedHealthcare; Linda Golodner, National Consumers League; Ken Grossman, MD, General Electric; Pamela Hymel, MD, CISCO Systems; Jeffrey Katz, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Div. Of Rheumatology and Immunology; Tom Marr, M, HealthPartners; Jan Vest, Signature Health Services; William Charles Watters, III, MD, Baylor College of Medicine; James Weinstein, DO, MS, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery.

NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization that accredits and certifies a wide range of healthcare organizations and manages HEDIS, the tool health plans use to measure and report on their performance.

Source: National Committee for Quality Assurance, www.ncqa.org

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