Glaucoma screening now part of health plan rating

Washington, DC-The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has approved a glaucoma screening for older adults as part of its 2005 Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) measures.

The new HEDIS measure becomes effective in January.

NCQA, a nonprofit organization that sets voluntary coverage standards for health-care organizations, uses HEDIS to measure health-plan performance.

Health plans will be rated on the percentage of plan users who participate for more than 2 years, who are over 65 years old, and have either a mid-level eye exam, a glaucoma screening using the G code, or a visual field code.