Quality of healthcare in the US improves

Or so goes the title of an AP article on the findings of National Committee for Quality Assurance, which accredits and certifies insurers.

For patients in private insurance plans, there was improvement in 35 of 42 measurements, including such categories as cervical cancer screening, colorectal cancer screening and the controlling of high blood pressure in hypertension patients.

Still, most insurers do not report objective healthcare data that would help build a more accurate picture of what's really going on.

One in four Americans are enrolled in health plans that collect and report data on the quality of care. However, more than 100 million Americans are enrolled in plans that report no objective quality data, the report said.

"This past decade has demonstrated the benefits of measurement, reporting and accountability, but three out of four people don't enjoy those benefits today," said Margaret E. O'Kane, the president of the National Committee for Quality Assurance. "It's time to ask, 'Why not?'"