DMAA Launches Site Dedicated to Quality in Population Health Improvement

WASHINGTON—DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance today announced a new content area of its Web presence focused on the contributions of population health improvement to health care quality and value for those with and at risk of acute or chronic conditions.

The Quality in Population Health Improvement site, at www.dmaa.org/Quality, serves as the new home of the DMAA Quality Improvement Case Studies Registry, which DMAA launched earlier this year to collect concise accounts of prevention, wellness and population health management programs with demonstrable contributions to improved clinical and financial outcomes.

The site also assembles for convenient access various DMAA research publications and resources, including its obesity and employer toolkits and participant and provider survey instruments.

"This new Web resource pulls together important work of DMAA, its member partners and the broader care continuum stakeholder community, demonstrating our commitment to measuring and improving quality in all aspects of care," says Rose Maljanian, RN, MBA, a DMAA Board of Directors member, chair of the DMAA Quality and Research Committee and president and CEO of Strategic Health Equations, LLC.

The site highlights the value of population-based care strategies as policymakers increasingly emphasize the need to prevent and manage chronic conditions as an essential element of health care reform, Maljanian says.

"All reform proposals share a theme of greater access, improved quality and lower costs. Through an emphasis on evidence-based practices, care coordination and support for the physician-led care team, population health improvement can help achieve these goals," she says.

Other site features include a section on a new DMAA awards program to recognize population health improvement programs that have made particularly significant impacts on care quality. DMAA is accepting nominations now for 2009 awards using an online submission system available through the new site.

The site's initial development was funded through an educational grant from Magellan Health Services Inc. As the site is further developed, DMAA will add new quality resources, case studies and other features; site users can register for e-mail alerts announcing such new material.

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About DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance
DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance convenes all stakeholders providing services along the care continuum toward the goal of population health improvement. These care continuum services include strategies such as health and wellness promotion, disease management, and care coordination. DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance promotes the role of population health improvement in raising the quality of care, improving health outcomes and reducing preventable health care costs for individuals with chronic conditions and those at risk for developing chronic conditions. DMAA's activities in support of these efforts include advocacy, research and the promotion of best practices in care management.

DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance represents more than 200 corporate and individual stakeholders—including wellness, disease and care management organizations, pharmaceutical manufacturers and benefit managers, health information technology innovators, biotechnology innovators, employers, physicians, nurses and other health care professionals, and researchers and academicians. Visit DMAA on the Web at www.dmaa.org.