DMAA Publishes Third Volume of Outcomes Measurement Guidelines

PRLog (Press Release) - Nov 13, 2008 -
WASHINGTON, D.C.--DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance today advanced the science of outcomes measurement in wellness, disease management and population health improvement programs with a new volume of its Outcomes Guidelines Report.

Volume 3 of the widely cited report adds significant new content to the first two volumes, which established an industry-consensus approach to measuring clinical and financial outcomes in programs to prevent and manage chronic conditions.

"DMAA continues to build strong consensus among all stakeholders around our Guidelines, and this latest work honors that commitment to inclusiveness and transparency," DMAA President and CEO Tracey Moorhead said. "Reliable, validated outcomes measurement in chronic disease care shows the value of population-based interventions. Our guidelines make that possible."

The Volume 3 Outcomes Guidelines Report complements the earlier works and expands and refines measurement approaches in multiple areas, including:

* Validation of identification methodology recommendations.
* Measures of medication adherence.
* Expanded guidelines for evaluating wellness programs.
* Definitions of the operational process of delivering a program.
* Guiding principles for evaluating programs for more than one condition.

Donald Fetterolf, MD, executive vice president, health intelligence, Alere, and co-chair of the DMAA Outcomes Steering Committee with independent consultant and DMAA Board member Sue Jennings, PhD, said the new volume, like its predecessors, balances scientific rigor with practicality. "That continues as an overarching theme of this process," he said. "Ultimately, our goal of improving care depends on real-world application of these guidelines."

Jennings emphasized that DMAA did not design the Guidelines as a "plug-and-play" formula for measuring outcomes for all populations under all circumstances. "The Outcomes Guidelines Report describes an approach to measuring outcomes based on best practices and the most timely research in this area," she said. "But end users will need to adapt the measurement approach to their specific populations and programs."

DMAA released its first Outcomes Guidelines Report in December 2006 and a second volume in September 2007. Contributors to the development process include notable quality improvement organizations, such as the National Committee for Quality Assurance, URAC and The Joint Commission. Scores of industry experts, actuaries and leaders in government also provided comment.

All three volumes of the guidelines and other important DMAA research documents are available at www.dmaa.org.

Reporters & Editors, note: PDF copies of Volume 3 are available upon request to qualified media.