NCQA to measure effectiveness of obesity treatment

Business Insurances News, February 21, 2008

As the total annual cost of obesity continues to rise in the United States, the National Committee for Quality Assurance said it will apply two new standards to the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set, focusing on obesity in children and adults. The total annual cost of obesity in the United States is an estimated $117 billion. Further, studies have shown that overweight children and teenagers are more likely to become obese adults, which is why NCQA is adding assessments of body mass index-the ratio between a person's weight and height-and how consistently physicians perform BMI assessments to HEDIS.