Editorial: Consumers could use quality data

Saturday, Sept. 26, 1998 | 3:02 a.m.

As the Sun's Richard N. Velotta reported Thursday, the National Committee for Quality Assurance's comparison of the nation's HMOs isn't going to help Nevadans much since none of the state's managed-care companies either participated or allowed their data to be released to the public.

It's too bad because this nationwide quality survey of managed care companies provides helpful information, allowing employers to make informed decisions about what managed-care companies offer the best plan.

But a spokesman for the National Committee for Quality Assurance, Barry Scholl, said some managed-care companies are afraid of the data being used irresponsibly by the media or consumer groups. In addition, Scholl said: "In Nevada, there's apparently no one among the employer community demanding this information, no activist group or media outlets with loud voices asking for it."

Scholl's statement that no one seems to care is hard to believe, especially because the 1997 Nevada Legislature passed HMO reforms that have been recognized nationally. Along with a concern for the level of care, consumers also want a way to measure one HMO against another.

It's shameful if, in fact, Nevada employers aren't putting enough pressure on managed care companies to cough up this quality information to make informed decisions. Unless employers demand quality measurements -- not just how much the plan costs -- employees will continue to be slighted on the care they receive. And if managed-care companies truly cared more about medical care than they do costs, then they gladly would volunteer this information.