See this page for more details about these awards.

The Maine Health Management Coalition awards ribbons to medical practices that meet certain standards for quality care. Ribbons are awarded to 3 types of practices:

• Family Medicine
• Internal Medicine
• Pediatrics (infants and children)

Starting May 1, 2009, the doctor rating system awards 2 different color ribbons – blue ribbons for meeting certain national standards and green ribbons for others. These ratings are explained below.

Blue Ribbons for National Quality Ratings

As of May 2009, MHMC is using a new system to award ribbons. Blue ribbons are higher level awards because they are now based on national rating systems.

Blue ribbons for Family and Internal Medicine practices are based on national ratings for:

• Office system quality
• Results of care for diabetes
• Results of care for heart disease

Blue ribbons for Pediatric Medicine practices are based on national ratings for:

• Office system quality
• Care and outcomes for pediatric patients with asthma
• Rates of shots and vaccines given to prevent serious diseases (such as measles and polio)

Green Ribbons for a Mix of Quality Ratings

Green ribbons used to be blue ribbons in 2007 and 2008. Green ribbons are made in Maine quality ratings based on:

• “Well on the way” quality ratings from 2 national rating systems
• Results from a Maine office systems survey
• Quality care data submitted by medical practices without enough patients to be rated by national systems

So, how do I use the ribbons to help choose a doctor?

Look for a medical practice that has earned blue or green ribbons. If you have diabetes or heart disease (or a child with asthma), look for a practice that has a ribbon in that category.

How the Rating Systems Work

Blue Ribbon Awards Use 2 National Rating Systems

MHMC gives blue ribbons to Maine practices in which at least 80% of patients are treated by doctors who have earned national quality ratings.

National Rating System 1: NCQA – National Committee for Quality Assurance

NCQA is a national group that rates the quality of a doctor’s care based on certain standards. Doctors submit reports about the care they give patients reports which are checked to be sure they are correct and truthful. Doctors can earn NCQA awards for excellence in office systems and care for patients with diabetes, heart and spine conditions. Learn more about NCQA here: www.ncqa.org

National Rating System 2: BTE – Bridges to Excellence

BTE is another national group that rates the quality of a doctor’s care in a similar way. They collect data from doctors and make sure it’s correct and truthful. And, they give quality awards for excellence in office systems and care for patients with diabetes, heart, and spine conditions. BTE also gives quality awards to practices that earn NCQA awards. Learn more about BTE here: www.BridgestoExcellence.org

Green Ribbon Awards Use a Mix of Rating Systems

Maine medical practices earn green ribbons based on both local and national data.

Green Ribbons for Effective Office Systems

If a practice earned a blue ribbon for office systems in 2007 or 2008, it is now a green ribbon. The green ribbon awards are good for 3 years until March 2010. Because national awards are granted for 3 years, we are doing this in Maine.

Green ribbons may also be given in 2010 to practices using some of the systems needed to earn a blue ribbon. Examples include using:

• Registries for patients with chronic illnesses such as diabetes
• Electronic prescribing of medicine
• Care managers to support patients with chronic illness

Green Ribbons for Good Patient Results of Care Measured in 2 Possible Ways

Green ribbons for quality care are awarded to practices who earned them in one of 2 ways:

1. Practices that earned blue ribbons in 2007 or 2008 for having good patient results of care, measured by data available to MHMC

2. Practices that tried for national rating (NCQA or BTE) but didn’t earn the 75 points required for a blue ribbon. These practices earned a green ribbon when they earned between 60 and 75 points on a national rating scale.

All awards are assigned by a physician steering committee based on facts and judgment.

While the MHMC Physician Steering Committee awards blue and green ribbons using published quality standards, they use their collective best judgment as well. Committee members know that current standards don’t tell the whole story. Only certain parts of medical practice are measured and reported. As more measures, standards, and valid data become available, the Committee will consider them in making awards.