Seven AmeriHealth Caritas Medicaid Plans Recognized by NCQA for Multicultural Health Care Excellence

Business Wire

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AmeriHealth Caritas, a national leader in Medicaid managed care and other health care solutions for those most in need, announced today that seven of its Medicaid health plans have received the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA’s) Multicultural Health Care Distinction. The distinction is given to health plans that provide culturally appropriate care and quality improvement initiatives in serving diverse populations.

NCQA awarded the distinction to AmeriHealth Caritas Medicaid health plans in the following markets:

District of Columbia.
Louisiana.
Michigan.
Pennsylvania (three plans).
South Carolina.

AmeriHealth Caritas’ South Carolina plan and two of its Pennsylvania plans received their fourth consecutive distinction. In 2011, they became three of the first seven health plans in America to formally receive the distinction, and were subsequently renewed for another two years in 2013, 2015, and 2017.

This year, the Michigan Medicaid health plan received the distinction for the second time. AmeriHealth Caritas’ District of Columbia, Louisiana, and northeastern Pennsylvania Medicaid plans were recognized for the first time in 2017.

“AmeriHealth Caritas is proud to be recognized by NCQA for our efforts to address the health disparities that affect Americans of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds,” said AmeriHealth Caritas Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Paul A. Tufano. “We will continue to develop innovative solutions to reduce barriers to care by addressing the unique needs of the diverse populations we serve.”

NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information for consumers, purchasers, health care providers and researchers.

NCQA awards distinction to organizations that meet or exceed its rigorous requirements for multicultural health care. The Multicultural Health Care program evaluates how well an organization complies with standards for the following areas:

Collection of race, ethnicity and language data.
Provision of language assistance.
Cultural responsiveness.
Quality improvement of culturally and linguistically appropriate services.
Reduction of health care disparities.

“Earning Multicultural Health Care Distinction shows that an organization is making a breakthrough in providing excellent health care to diverse populations. I congratulate any organization that achieves this level of distinction,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “Eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health care is essential to improving the quality of care overall.”

NCQA’s Multicultural Health Care Distinction Report Card lists health care entities holding Multicultural Health Care Distinction at https://reportcards.ncqa.org/#/other-health-care-organizations/list?program=Multicultural%20Health%20Care.

About AmeriHealth Caritas

AmeriHealth Caritas is part of the Independence Health Group in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. AmeriHealth Caritas is one of the nation’s leaders in health care solutions for those most in need. Operating in 17 states and the District of Columbia, AmeriHealth Caritas serves more than 5.7 million Medicaid, Medicare and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) members through its integrated managed care products, pharmaceutical benefit management and specialty pharmacy services, behavioral health services, and other administrative services. Headquartered in Philadelphia, AmeriHealth Caritas is a mission-driven organization with more than 30 years of experience serving low-income and chronically ill populations. For more information, visit www.amerihealthcaritas.com.