Officials Unveil Tools and Tips to Help Consumers Get the Most Out of Their Health Plans
-- Blue Shield, PacifiCare, and Western Health Advantage all improved in meeting national standards of medical care, joining Health Net with a three star rating (Good). -- For patient satisfaction, the scores generally stayed the same as last year or declined. California isn't seeing improvement in this area."The top performers show us what's doable, and the challenge is to see the lowest performers improve," stated Perez. "For consumers, knowing how their plans rate on various indicators should help them make better health care decisions. In tough economic times, getting the most out of your health care is more important than ever." Consumers can learn how plans and medical groups perform on common health conditions such as diabetes, maternity care, asthma, cancer, heart care and mental health, as well as treatment of children and adults. For example, the Report Card reveals that:
-- California health plans did poorly in helping diabetic patients with their cholesterol levels. On average, less than half of their members with diabetes had their cholesterol under control leading to greater risk for death due to strokes or heart attacks. -- None of the health plans did well in treating adults for bronchitis. Even in the best scoring plan, nearly two-thirds of patients were given an antibiotic when it was not needed; in the worst plan that increased to 4 out of 5 patients. Overuse of antibiotics is not only wasteful and unnecessary, but it can make them less effective in fighting harmful bacteria later on. -- Health plans in California did quite well in managing their patients with asthma. Individual health plan scores for asthma care for children, teenagers, and adults reveal that almost all patients are getting the right medications to avoid asthma attacks, mirroring high rates for the country as a whole.The Office of the Patient Advocate is an independent office in state government charged with informing and educating consumers about their rights as HMO enrollees. For more information, visit HealthCareQuality.ca.gov or opa.ca.gov. Copies of the Report Card can also be obtained by calling 1(888) 466-2219.