SAN DIEGO, Dec. 13, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- American Specialty Health (ASH), one of the nation's premier personal health improvement organizations, recently secured a renewed certification from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for both credentialing and utilization management. The new certification is effective October 12, 2007 through October 12, 2009.
The certification applies to two ASH subsidiaries, American Specialty Health Plans of California, Inc. (ASH Plans) and American Specialty Health Networks, Inc. (ASH Networks).
Each NCQA-certified organization is subject to a desktop audit, telephone interviews, and an onsite survey. Currently, health plans and employer groups may delegate responsibility for credentialing and utilization management to another organization -- such as ASH -- that specializes in those areas. As a result of this certification, NCQA-accredited organizations can streamline delegation activities when contracting with ASH. This certification affords industry-standard quality while making delegation more cost-efficient for ASH and its clients.
"We are extremely proud to have renewed our certification from NCQA in credentialing and utilization management," said George DeVries, chairman and chief executive officer of ASH. "Achieving certification in both areas shows once again that ASH is committed to providing quality services to our contracted health plans and employer groups."
NCQA is an independent, not-for-profit organization 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. Consumers can easily access health plans' NCQA statuses and other information on health care quality on NCQA's Web site at http://web.ncqa.org/, or by calling NCQA Customer Support at 888.275.7585.
About American Specialty Health
ASH Plans and ASH Networks are both subsidiaries of American Specialty Health Incorporated. ASH is one of the nation's premier personal health improvement organizations, providing specialty benefit programs, fitness programs, health coaching and incentives, Internet solutions, and worksite wellness programs to health plans, insurance carriers, employer groups, and trust funds nationwide.
Based in San Diego, ASH has over 600 employees and covers more than 13.4 million members in specialty benefit, fitness, and coaching programs. For more information, visit ASH online at ASHCompanies.com or call 800.848.3555.