WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) today announced that nine health care organizations have earned accreditation in the first cohort of the NCQA Health Equity Accreditation Plus program.
As an advanced evaluation program, Health Equity Accreditation Plus builds on NCQA's foundational Health Equity Accreditation framework to address inequities in care by:
- Partnering with community-based organizations.
- Offering resources that support clinical and social needs.
- Collecting data on community social risk factors and patients' social needs.
- Making clear to members and patients how their data is used, shared and protected.
The nine organizations that augmented earning Health Equity Accreditation by also achieving Health Equity Accreditation Plus are:
- Aetna Better Health of Michigan, Inc.
- Geisinger Health Plan
- Health Net of California, Inc.
- Hennepin Healthcare
- Molina Healthcare of California Partner Plan Inc.
- Novant Health's Coastal Communities, Greater Charlotte Market, Greater Winston-Salem Market
- Simply Healthcare Plans, Inc., an Elevance Health Company
- UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, Inc. (MI)
- UPMC For You, Inc.
"Overcoming disparities in care and health outcomes takes cooperation and commitment, both inside and between organizations," said NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane. "We're honored these nine organizations partnered with NCQA and community groups to prize and improve health equity. They are the vanguard of making equitable care a reality, and we congratulate them on this achievement."
"The success of these organizations in earning Health Equity Accreditation Plus is a credit to these health plans and health systems. It's also an important validation of the NCQA health equity standards," said NCQA Director of Health Equity Initiatives Dr. Bryan O. Buckley, DrPH, MPH. "As more states require Health Equity Accreditation, these first organizations to earn Health Equity Accreditation Plus will stand out as examples for others to emulate."
To learn more about NCQA's work to improve health equity, please visit www.ncqa.org/health-equity.
About NCQA
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's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA's website (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make informed health care choices. NCQA can also be found at Twitter @ncqa and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/ncqa.
Media Contact
Theresa Masnik
SHIFT Communications
NCQA@shiftcomm.com
Contact Information:
Theresa Masnik
ncqa@shiftcomm.com
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