Quality Matters: A Podcast by NCQA

This episode of “Inside Health Care: a Podcast by NCQA” features three interviews recorded live at our Health Innovation Summit in October 2023. Among many panels and presentations was an incredible session titled “Health Equity Trailblazers: Where Vision Meets Commitment.” Health equity leaders discussed their organizations’ health equity strategies, vision and lessons learned, delving into how l...

In this Inside Health Care interview, we explore GME — graduate medical education — and explore a few fundamental questions. How can we make sure today’s medical residents are paying attention to their patients? How do we teach residents to ask the right questions? And even more fundamentally, how do we make sure that the next generation of clinicians knows how to implement value-based models of c...

We close 2023 with our annual year-end State of Health Care interview with NCQA President Peggy O’Kane. In this interview, Peggy talks with Vice President for Public Policy and External Relations, Frank Micciche, about NCQA’s progress in 2023—both in improving equitable access to health care and implementing digital transformation across the ecosystem. As you’ll hear, we’re hitting the ground runn...

In this episode of our “Inside Health Care” podcast, we hear two interviews that each demonstrate how close we are to solving the challenges of health disparities and digital transformation. Our first interview finds a real-life, “Last Mile” solution that will bring historically under-served populations to the health care services they need and deserve. Our second interview reveals how improved ef...

In this episode of Inside Health Care, we present two interviews that each ask really basic, yet complex, questions about health care. The first question: Why are patient alcohol and substance use issues so often overlooked in primary care? This interview will not only answer that question: it will point patients and providers in the right direction: toward adoption of universal alcohol screening...

In this episode, we explore a much-discussed Inside Health Care topic: interoperability. Within the process of health care digitalization, interoperability deals with the multi-lane, multi-directional transfer of electronic health records, or EHRs. But more and more, in that transfer process, companies discover data they hadn’t considered using, data needing refinement, and data that tells stories...

In this episode, we hear clips from four interviews recorded live at NCQA’s 2nd annual Health Innovation Summit. Parker Holcomb is Chief AI Engineer at Elevance Health. At NCQA’s 2023 Health Innovation Summit, he participated in a session titled “Building Trust in Clinical Data for Value-Based Care”. Parker stands at the forefront of data quality, constantly seeking to perfect data quality standar...

In this episode of “Inside Health Care,” we meet two guests, in two interviews. Our first guest advocates for birth, racial and gender equity, driven by her own distressing experiences as a patient. Our second guest developed effective ways to implement virtual care on a large scale to improve equity and representation for rural communities. Sinsi Hernández-Cancio , JD, is a vice president at the...

In this episode of “Inside Health Care,” we take a look back at what we’ve learned since the pandemic hit over two years ago. We first chat with an upcoming star speaker at NCQA’s 2023 Health Innovation Summit on what we’ve garnered from the growth of telehealth in remote medicine. Then in our second interview in this episode, we discuss the public’s conflict with immunization and new strategies o...

In this episode of “Inside Health Care,” we talk interoperability with a cardiologist who helped develop a new standard for data records exchange. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources, a.k.a. FHIR, can improve efficiencies in use and transfer of electronic health records. It can ease pressure on medical staff while also improving health equity measurement. In our discussion with Dr. James Tc...

In this episode of “Inside Health Care,” we chat with a prominent NCQA board member about flipping fee-for-service models to value-based models, all in order to ease digital transformation. Then, we talk about the challenges and true rewards of pursuing Credentialing Accreditation . Dr. Craig Samitt is the CEO and Founder of ITO Advisors, an advisory and investment firm committed to value transfor...

In this episode of “Inside Health Care,” we talk digital transformation with a prominent medical informaticist. Then, we hear a conversation on NCQA’s long-term services and supports programs, a.k.a. LTSS , from a long-time accredited managed care supporter. Dr. John Glaser is Executive in Residence at Harvard Medical School Executive Education. Previously he was Chief Executive Officer of Siemens...

In this episode, we talk with two leaders of an amazing NCQA partner company, Cozeva , while revisiting one of NCQA’s cutting edge digital products , our Data Aggregator Validation program [DAV] . Cozeva, a member of the original program cohort, is an integrated, comprehensive population health platform. Our Data Aggregator Validation program now forms the backbone of Cozeva’s services. Cozeva cur...

In this episode, we’re focusing on NCQA’s PCSP—Patient-Centered Specialty Practice Recognition program . As noted on our website, the PCSP Recognition program focuses on coordinating and sharing information among primary care clinicians and specialists. It requires clinicians to organize care around patients—across all clinicians seen by a patient. Patients and their families or other caregivers a...

On this episode of Inside Health Care, we talk Medicaid with a large, equity-focused provider about the end of the Fed’s pandemic-related emergency Medicaid provisions . Following that, a chat with one of our 2022-2023 PCMH Certified Content Expert Quality Award winners. Later on, some fast facts for you in observance of World Hepatitis Day. Elevance Health , a large multi-state health insurance p...

On this episode of Inside Health Care, we celebrate Pride Month with discussions on gender health equity, sexual orientation and gender identity health care quality issues, and health care access and representation for the LGBTQIA+ community. Later, some tips on improving the provider experience for transgender patients. Dr. Alex Keuroghlian is an expert in Sex- and Gender-Informed Medicine and Se...

On this episode of Inside Health Care, we feature two interviews celebrating winners of two different NCQA awards: a NCQA 2022 Health Innovation Award and a 2022-2023 PCMH CCE Quality Award Winner. Later in the show in our Fast Facts segment, we discuss gender equity-related health care terminology. In our first interview, we talk with Dr. Ava Jones, PhD and RN, the Director for Health Equity and...

On this episode of Inside Health Care, we talk about acupuncture, yoga and a host of other “alternative” therapies with a health leader in the U.S. government. After that, we explore a newly announced breakthrough in digitalization exploration with NCQA’s Chief Technology Officer. Our first guest is one the foremost experts in the U.S. on integrative medicine. He answers some difficult questions....

On this episode of Inside Health Care, we interview a pioneering speaker and a featured presenter at NCQA’s 2023 Quality Talks event. We first interviewed Dr. Pippa Shulman back in episode 76 , which dropped in April 2022. Since then, Dr. Shulman's seen the growth and expansion of her business, Medically Home , the world’s first virtual hospital. Medically Home is a tech-enabled services company,...

On this episode of Inside Health Care, we interview two upcoming speakers at NCQA’s 2023 Quality Talks event . First, we meet a global leader with a deep understanding of the need for health equity. Following that, we have an in-depth discussion with an amazing tech expert on digital transformation in the health care ecosystem. Dr. Garth Graham is Managing Director and Global Head of Healthcare an...

On this episode of Inside Health Care, we’ll hear from two health care innovators. One developed a unique yet powerful approach towards resolving historic gaps in health equity . The other champions artificial intelligence as a key solution in the drive towards streamlined patient-centered care. And...both of them will be featured speakers at NCQA’s annual Quality Talks event , set for May 3, 2023...

On this episode of Inside Health Care, we hear from a digital entrepreneur who’s dedicated to getting the most out of health tech. Dr. Liz Kwo is Chief Medical Officer of Everly Health and an upcoming speaker at NCQA's 2023 Quality Talks event . Dr. Kwo is an expert in development and implementation of digitalization to improve diagnostics-driven health care. Her work—and her career—have been mold...

On this episode of Inside Health Care, we hear from a digital scientist and researcher eagerly finding tech solutions to promote immediate change in health care. Jennifer C. Goldsack is founder and CEO of the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) , a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to advancing digital medicine to optimize human health. Jen earned her master’s degree in chemistry from the Un...

In celebration of the 100th episode of the Inside Health Care podcast, we take a moment to tell stories of health equity and health digitalization . Through clips from six interviews over the past few years, we explore the evolution of these two concepts—both now pillars of NCQA programming. Thanks to all our podcast guests of the past 5½ years. We’re grateful for the discussions to come, includin...

On this episode of Inside Health Care, we offer two interviews. NYC Health + Hospitals leaders, Dr. Eric Wei and Dr. Ted Long, discuss hospital worker burnout, including suicide , and the need for awareness, mitigation and prevention. After that, Inland Empire Health Plan Chief Quality Officer, Dr. Edward Juhn , talks about “algorithmic bias,” a software-based anomaly that may adversely affect pop...