Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Awarded NCQA's Accreditation Status of 'Excellent'
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield announced today that its HMO Colorado, Inc. plan has been awarded an Accreditation status of Excellent from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), an independent, non-profit organization that assesses and reports on the quality of the nation's managed care plans. Anthem's Accreditation status -- the highest possible level -- is based on a voluntary review of how a health plan ensures that its members are receiving high quality care.
"NCQA's Excellent Accreditation status is reserved for the best health plans in the nation. It is only awarded to those plans that meet or exceed NCQA's rigorous requirements for consumer protection and quality improvement and deliver excellent clinical care," said Margaret E. O'Kane, president of NCQA. "It is partly a health plan's members that determine whether it earns NCQA's Excellent Accreditation status. Any plan that does so should be proud of its accomplishment. It is a sign that the plan's delivering great service and great care -- it's met the toughest test in managed care."
NCQA is an independent, non-profit organization that is dedicated to assessing and reporting on the quality of managed care plans, managed behavioral healthcare organizations, preferred provider organizations, new health plans, physician organizations, credentials verification organizations, disease management programs and other health-related programs.
The NCQA Accreditation process evaluates how well a health plan manages quality throughout every part of its delivery system -- physicians, hospitals, affiliated providers and administrative services -- to continuously improve health care for its members. A team of physicians and health plan experts conducts accreditation surveys. A national oversight committee of physicians analyzes the team's findings and assigns an accreditation level based on the performance level of each plan being evaluated to NCQA's standards.
"Earning top recognition from NCQA is the result of collaboration with physicians and hospitals to positively impact the quality, accessibility and affordability of health care in our communities," said John Martie, president, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Colorado. "HMO Colorado is proud to have improved both its CAHPS(R) member satisfaction and HEDIS(R) effectiveness of care scores in the 2009 collection of these measures. We have a long and proud tradition of ensuring that our members receive high-quality service. Receiving objective recognition of that is rewarding for all of us."
"CAHPS(R) is a registered trademark of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)."
"HEDIS(R) is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)."
About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Colorado
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Rocky Mountain Hospital and Medical Service, Inc., an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. (R) ANTHEM is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and symbols are registered marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
