Meridian Health Plan of Illinois Named Top Medicaid Plan in State

CHICAGO, Sept. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Meridian Health Plan of Illinois is the number one Medicaid HMO in Illinois and 10^th in the nation according to NCQA's Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2014–2015. Meridian earned the highest possible rating of five out of five for Prevention and Treatment and four out of five for Consumer Experience.

"We take our commitment to high quality care very seriously. Being ranked the number one Medicaid plan in the state and 10^th in the nation further illustrates our commitment to our mission of high quality care for those we serve," said David Livingston, Meridian's President and Chief Operating Officer. "We are extremely proud of our staff whose daily dedication to quality made this achievement possible."

Meridian Health Plan of Illinois' performance in NCQA's Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2014-2015 immediately follows its recent NCQA accreditation status elevation from Accredited to Commendable for achievement in the areas of consumer protection and quality improvement. NCQA Accreditation evaluates how well health plans manage all parts of its delivery system – physicians, hospitals, other providers and administrative services – in order to continuously improve the quality of care and services provided to its members.

"Achieving an accreditation status of Commendable from NCQA is a sign that a health plan is serious about quality," stated Margaret E. O'Kane, President of NCQA. "It is awarded to plans whose service and clinical quality meet or exceed NCQA's rigorous requirements for consumer protection and quality improvement."

Health Plan Accreditation and the Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2014–2015 are separate and distinct review processes and recognition. The complete list of NCQA's Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2014–2015 is available online at http://www.ncqa.org.

NCQA is a private, non-profit 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.

Meridian Health Plan is a physician-owned, family-operated health plan with extensive experience in its subsidiary operations in Michigan, Illinois and Iowa. Meridian's affiliates include Medicaid and Medicare health and prescription drug plans, a commercial plan available through the Health Insurance Marketplace and MeridianRx, a Pharmacy Benefit Management company. Meridian Health Plan currently serves more than 500,000 Medicaid members. For more information, visit www.mhplan.com.

SOURCE Meridian Health Plan