San Mateo, CA. – CCGroup is pleased to announce that the company has developed an acceptable clinical protocol range for utilizing MRI of Spine in diagnostics for routine, non-complicated low back pain (LBP) patient episodes-of-care. CCGroup BullsEye™ statistical analysis and methodologies (protected by U.S. Patent No. 8,301,464) strongly correlates MRI of Spine as the key diagnostic service to orthopedists’ efficiency score in treating non-complicated LBP. Therefore, MRI of Spine is the MedMarker™ (or correlated service) in treating non-complicated LBP.
“CCGroup is the only company in the market that has developed MedMarkers™ for all prevalent medical conditions treated by each physician specialty type,” stated Douglas G. Cave, Ph.D., President of CCGroup. “MedMarkers™ are process of care quality measures, well-defined in clinical guidelines. However, they also are the key services and procedures most associated with cost-of-care in treating a medical condition such as LBP.” Dr. Cave defined, “MRI of Spine is also a National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) process of care measure that supports clinical guidelines that diagnostic imaging studies are unnecessary in most new onset cases of LBP within 28 days of diagnosis.”
CCGroup has developed (or is in the process of developing) ‘Clinical MedMarker™ Protocol Ranges’ for all prevalent medical conditions in the United States. The Clinical MedMarker™ Protocol Ranges are developed using the large CCGroup National Comparative MedMarker™ Database results combined with the CCGroup National Specialist Panel MedMarker™ Survey results.
“Together, these CCGroup resources help to establish the appropriate Clinical MedMarker™ Protocol Range of MRI of Spine in diagnostics for non-complicated LBP,” declared Dr. Cave. “The acceptable range for orthopedists is the following: no more than 0-to-20 episodes out of every 100 routine LBP episodes should have an MRI of Spine.” Yet, practice variation studies show many orthopedists with MRI of Spine rates significantly higher than the Clinical MedMarker™ Protocol Range.
CCGroup will continue to work with healthcare clients to develop their acceptable Clinical MedMarker™ Protocol Ranges. These ranges are needed to identify and improve unwarranted variations in physician practice patterns and reduce rising costs, while improving quality of care. The ranges are needed to support healthcare clients’ value-based contracting, accountable care work efforts, and patient centered medical home activities.
About Cave Consulting Group, Inc.
Cave Consulting Group, Inc. is a software and consulting firm located in San Mateo, California. The company is focused on improving the efficiency (cost-of-care) and effectiveness (quality-of-care) of the healthcare delivery system. Senior management of CCGroup has assessed the performance of physicians and hospitals for over 24 years for health plans, HMOs, physician groups, health systems, TPAs, and employers.
Contact : Mr. Yuri Alexandrian, CCGroup 650-286-4100 yalexandrian@cavegroup.com
Contact: Mr. David Harlan, Armstrong Teasdale 314-621-5070 dharlan@armstrongteasdale.com