A state report on chronic care shows that while the state's 10 largest Health Maintenance Organizations are monitoring care well for those with chronic conditions, they struggle to help patients control those conditions, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.
The findings, included in the California Health Care Quality Report Cards – Updated 2014 Edition, compare clinical performance and patient satisfaction for care provided to approximately 16 million Californians in 2012, allowing consumers to sort providers by medical conditions and volume of patient complaints.
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In particular, the HMOs struggled with helping patients control diabetes and asthma.
At Kaiser Permanente Southern California, only 64 percent of asthma patients received the proper medications, the lowest of any HMO. Seventy-seven percent of patients received the correct asthma medication at Western Health Advantage, the highest of any HMO in the state. Nationwide, however, the top plans score 83 percent for this metric, according to the Los Angeles Times report.
Patients seen at the HMOs reported difficulties with "getting care easily," with 80 percent of the HMOs earning just one out of four stars for the metric.
Despite its poor rating for asthma care, overall, Kaiser Permanente was the only HMO to earn the report card's top four-star rating for provision of care based on national guidelines.
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