Health Partners Earns Top Marks from the National Committee for Quality Assurance NCQA Medical Assistance Plan Achieves “Excellent” Rating

2010 JAN 4 - (NewsRx.com) -- Health Partners' Medical Assistance plan has once again received "Excellent" status, the highest level of Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the most recognized accrediting body in the United States for health plans (see also Health Partners).

NCQA Accreditation evaluates how well a health plan manages all parts of its delivery system - physicians, hospitals, other providers and administrative services - in order to improve health care for its members. NCQA standards are purposely set high to encourage health plans to continuously enhance their quality.

The on-site accreditation process, which takes place once every three years, involves participation in voluntary NCQA Accreditation surveys that are conducted by a team of physicians and managed care experts. The surveys include extensive on- and off-site evaluations of over 60 standards and selected HEDIS® performance measures. HEDIS is a tool used by more than 90 percent of America's health plans to measure performance on important dimensions of care and service.

"NCQA's 'Excellent' Accreditation status is reserved for the best health plans in the nation," says Margaret E. O'Kane, president, NCQA. "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."

Health Partners is deeply committed to providing its members with the highest level of service and quality care possible through health education, community health screenings, case and disease management programs, access to top-notch doctors and hospitals, and first-class customer service.

"Achieving an 'Excellent' Accreditation from NCQA sends a wonderful message to Health Partners members and our 450+ employees who are committed to serving them each day," says Mary K Stom, MD, senior vice president of healthcare management and chief medical officer, Health Partners. "As a health plan that serves low-income, underserved residents, our achievement of this national recognition is evidence of our continued commitment to eliminating healthcare disparities and providing our members with access to the high quality care that they deserve."

About Health Partners: Health Partners is the result of a unique collaboration among seven area hospitals to create a not-for-profit health plan for residents of Philadelphia. Since 1985, the company has advanced numerous innovations in managed care. It currently serves more than 155,000 Medical Assistance members in southeastern Pennsylvania and consistently ranks number one in member satisfaction in the area. Health Partners recently launched KidzPartners, which provides free or low-cost health insurance to uninsured children and teens up to age 19 through the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). For more information about Health Partners, visit www.healthpart.com. For KidzPartners, visit www.kidzpartners.com.