We recently posted the 2011?2012 Clinical Practice Guideline Summary, which replaces the previous version. The new summary includes a listing of all Clinical Practice Guidelines adopted by IBC that are considered the accepted minimum standard of care in the medical profession. Adherence to these guidelines may lead to improved patient outcomes.

Individual clinical decisions should be tailored to specific patient medical and psychosocial needs. As national guideline recommendations evolve, please update your practice accordingly. The summary provides the reference for each condition and links directly to the guidelines.

We update the guidelines annually based on changes made to nationally recognized sources. Changes are reviewed by internal and external consultants, as appropriate, and by the IBC Quality Committee, which is comprised of network physicians.

In comparison to guidelines from the previous year, the 2011?2012 Clinical Practice Guideline Summary focuses more on disease management in accordance with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) standards. Preventive health guidelines, which were previously included, can be found in our Member Wellness Guidelines. Also, the Spirometry Guide for Health Care Professionals, as provided by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), has been added to the summary.

You can access the 2011?2012 Clinical Practice Guideline Summary at www.ibx.com/clinicalguidelines, or you can call the Provider Supply Line at 1-800-858-4728 to request a hard copy of the summary or any of the individual guidelines.