ALBANY – Children enrolled in Medicaid and Child Health Plus are receiving more preventive and primary care, with a 20 percent increase in immunizations, and higher percentages of children being tested for lead poisoning and obesity, and more having annual dental exams.

In the new study, quality measures for Medicaid services for adults are improving in many areas as well, including a drop in the percentage of diabetics whose disease is in poor control and increases in the percentage of enrollees whose cholesterol levels are under control.

This is the 14th year that the New York State Department of Health has collected performance data from health plans serving both commercially and publicly insured (Medicaid, Child Health Plus and Family Health Plus) adults and children. The 2007 data is part of the DOH's Quality Assurance Reporting Requirements (QARR), an annual collection of data and information from health plans licensed to operate in New York State. The measures were developed by the National Commission for Quality Assurance with several New York State specific measures added to address local health priorities.