Avoidance of Antibiotic Treatment in Adults with Acute Bronchitis (AAB)
as possible. For example, in 2013
the HEDIS rate for the Avoidance
of Antibiotic Treatment in Adults
with Acute Bronchitis was below
Association Foundation. The
group supports physician efforts
to promote appropriate antibiotic
use. Their website
has many resources
for both providers and members.
Providers may find the AWARE
Toolkit helpful. The toolkit
includes a two-page compendium
for both adults and children,
which summarizes treatment
and prescribing guidelines for
viral illnesses. It also includes
brochures, posters and patient
handouts in both English and
Spanish.
Please visit the following
website to access the AWARE
Toolkit and other information:
HEDIS Measures—Why They Matter
Reducing
Inappropriate
Antibiotic Use
A
s you know, the Alliance
participates each year in
the Health Effectiveness
Data Information Set (HEDIS)
project to assess how successful our
network providers are at improving
the quality of care provided to
Alliance Medi-Cal members.
Performance rates are compared to
a national database to show where
on the spectrum of care Alliance
providers rank on various HEDIS
measures. Two benchmarks are
considered particularly important:
the Minimum Performance Level
(MPL) and the High Performance
Level (HPL).
What are the MPL and HPL?
Simply put, these are the
25th percentile (MPL) and the
90th percentile (HPL) nationally.
All health plans strive to have all
measures above the MPL and as
many measures above the HPL
P
roviders know that antibiotic
use in acute bronchitis is not
recommended for several
reasons. Despite this, Alliance
provider rates of antibiotic use for
this viral disease are well above the
national rate. So, what can you do to
help your patients become aware of
appropriate antibiotic use and follow
your instructions for self-care?
Tips for communicating with
patients about treating viral illnesses
can be found a
Partnership, Empathy, Apology,
Respect, Legitimation and Support
(PEARLS) are the six steps to
listening and validating patients’
concerns, and then educating them
about viral illness may help you gain
cooperation from a patient who is
insistent on inappropriate antibiotics.
Alliance Working for Antibiotic
Resistance Education (AWARE)
is a
project of the California Medical
the MPL of 18.98% in Merced
(16.23%) and just above the
50th percentile of 22.14% in
Santa Cruz/Monterey counties
(22.27%) as depicted in the
graph below.
If you would like to have an Alliance Quality Improvement nurse
discuss ways to help decrease antibiotic use for viral illnesses, please
contact Peg Behan, Quality Improvement Manager, at
(831) 430-2630
o
35%
20%
30%
10%
25%
15%
5%
33.30%
P90
High
Performance
Level
22.27%
Santa Cruz/
Monterey
HEDIS 2013
Reported
Rate
18.98%
P25
Minimum
Performance
Level
RATE
Merced
HEDIS 2013
Reported
Rate
16.23%
0%
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PROVIDER NEWS
