ST. LOUIS, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield announced today that its Missouri plan has maintained the accreditation status of Excellent from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). 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 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," said Margaret E. O'Kane, president of 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."

The Missouri Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plan first received an excellent accreditation in 2002. The initial NCQA Accreditation survey process includes on- and off-site evaluations of more than 60 standards and selected HEDIS® performance measures conducted by a team of physicians and managed care experts. Maintenance of status is based on 2009 HEDIS results. 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.

"We are an organization committed to continuous quality improvement, and I believe that has again been validated by NCQA," said Dennis Matheis, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri. "Anthem is proud to have improved both its CAHPS® member satisfaction and HEDIS® 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 Missouri

In Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area) Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name for RightCHOICE® Managed Care, Inc. (RIT), Healthy Alliance® Life Insurance Company (HALIC), and HMO Missouri, Inc. RIT and certain affiliates administer non-HMO benefits underwritten by HALIC and HMO benefits underwritten by HMO Missouri, Inc. RIT and certain affiliates only provide administrative services for self-funded plans and do not underwrite benefits. Independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ®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 Blue Shield Association. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri is available at www.anthem.com.

SOURCE Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri

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