Department of Health Sciences Researchers Yield New Data on Health Services (Evidence-based indicators for the measurement of quality of primary care using health insurance claims data in Switzerland: update of the SQUIPRICA working group): Health and Medicine – Health Services

2022 MAY 30 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators publish new report on health services. According to news reporting out of the Department of Health Sciences by NewsRx editors, research stated, “The level of quality of care of ambulatory services in Switzerland is almost completely unknown. Since health insurance claims are the only nationwide applicable and available data source for this purpose, a set of 24 quality indicators (QI) for the measurement of quality of primary care has been previously developed and implemented.”

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from Department of Health Sciences: “The present paper reports on an evidence-based update and extension of the initial QI set. Established pragmatic 6-step process based on informal consensus and potential QI extracted from international medical practice guidelines and pre-existing QI for primary care. Experts rated potential QI based on strength of evidence, relevance for Swiss public health, and controllability in the Swiss primary care context. Feasibility of a preliminary set of potential new QI was tested using claims data of persons with basic mandatory health insurance at one of the largest Swiss health insurers. This test built the basis for expert consensus on the final set of new QI. Additionally, two diabetes indicators included in the previous QI set were re-evaluated. Of 23 potential new indicators, 19 of them were selected for feasibility testing. The expert group consented a final set of 9 additional QI covering the domains general aspects/efficiency (2 QI), diagnostic measures (1 QI), geriatric care (2 QI), osteoarthritis (1 QI), and drug safety (3 QI). Two pre-existing diabetes indicators were updated.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Additional QI relating to overuse and intersectoral care aspects extend the options of measuring quality of primary care in Switzerland based on claims data and complement the initial QI set.”

For more information on this research see: Evidence-based indicators for the measurement of quality of primary care using health insurance claims data in Switzerland: update of the SQUIPRICA working group. BMC Health Services Research, 2022,22(1):1-9. (BMC Health Services Research - http://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com). The publisher for BMC Health Services Research is BMC.

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-07893-8.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Eva Blozik, Department of Health Sciences, Helsana Group. Additional authors for this research include Renato Farcher, Sereina M. Graber, Carola A. Huber.

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