AFMC receives HEDIS certification 

AFMC has received its 2020 Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) certification for health plan reporting. HEDIS is a comprehensive set of standardized performance measures widely used to measure and improve health care quality.

HEDIS measures are relied on by government regulators, health plan payers, provider organizations, employers and consumers to provide information, identify quality and help compare health plan performance and make reliable comparisons between managed care plans.

Used by more than 90% of health plans to measure their performance, HEDIS standards include benchmarks for health quality indicators such as asthma medication use, use of beta-blocker treatment after a heart attack, controlling high blood pressure, diabetes care, breast cancer screening, antidepressant medication management, immunization status, mental health care and advising smokers to quit. HEDIS’ 90 performance standards range across six domains of care: effectiveness, access and experience of care, utilization, health plan information, and measures collected from electronic clinical data systems. Data are audited to verify validity and reliability.

“AFMC prides itself on the quality of health-related services we provide to health care consumers and providers,” Ray Hanley, president and CEO of AFMC, said in a statement. “Our HEDIS certification ensures that our standards remain high.”

Studies show health plans that meet HEDIS standards are associated with lower health care costs. Because the measures reflect actual patient care, they can be used for quality improvement efforts. Analysis of HEDIS data is also used to identify gaps in care and use of preventive care in people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart or lung disease and other costly conditions.