Milliman Care Guidelines(R) Replaces Multiple Guideline Sets for Wis...( MetaStar License Will St...),Health

MetaStar License Will Streamline Healthcare Quality Program Reviews

SEATTLE, Jan. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- MetaStar, Wisconsin's Quality Improvement Organization (QIO), has licensed clinical guidelines and software from Milliman Care Guidelines LLC, A Milliman Company, to coordinate non-physician medical care reviews throughout the state. By adopting the full seven-product Milliman Care Guidelines(R) suite, MetaStar now uses a single set of evidence-based guidelines to review healthcare decisions impacting work under Medicare and Medicaid contracts as well as commercial service contracts..

"Before we adopted the Care Guidelines, we were using different criteria to measure and improve quality care for Medicare and Medicaid patients," said Bill French, MetaStar Vice President of eHealth Strategies. "We examined our patient population and found that the Care Guidelines covered all our needs.

"We have improved care efficiencies by eliminating guideline confusion among providers and by using Milliman's strong evidence-based features. We found that the Care Guidelines also best addressed specific patient safety projects, especially prevention of MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and SCIP (Surgical Care Improvement Program)," French said.

Scott Harris, Milliman Care Guidelines's Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, said, "We are proud that our products and software are being adopted by QIOs such as MetaStar in growing numbers. In fact, the last four years have seen the number of licensed hospitals triple, and a four-fold increase in the number of Quality Improvement Organizations licensed."

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contracts with QIOs in each state to conduct various reviews and quality initiatives. It does not mandate or endorse the use of any specific criteri
'/>"/>