CVS Health's Accordant Earns NCQA Disease Management Accreditation for 18 Conditions

WOONSOCKET, R.I., Aug. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Accordant, a CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) company and an integral part of CVS Specialty, announced today that it has received NCQA Patient and Practitioner Oriented Disease Management (DM) Accreditation for a number of its programs that provide services to patients with rare chronic diseases and other select conditions on behalf of health plans, government sponsored plans, labor groups, employers and third party administrators.  The following programs are covered by this new accreditation: Epilepsy, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Parkinson's Disease, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE or Lupus), Myasthenia Gravis, Sickle Cell Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Hemophilia, Scleroderma, Polymyositis, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease), Dermatomyositis, Gaucher Disease and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

"We are pleased to receive this important accreditation from NCQA, which further validates our approach to providing high-quality and comprehensive disease management care and support for our patients with these rare, chronic conditions," said Alan Lotvin, M.D., executive vice president of CVS Specialty, the specialty pharmacy of CVS Health. "For more than 20 years, Accordant has been providing highly specialized care to patients to help them better manage their condition, improve health outcomes and help avoid unnecessary medical costs for both patients and payors."

Earning NCQA DM Accreditation is an indication that a DM program is dedicated to providing patients and/or practitioners the support, education and other help necessary to facilitate good outcomes and good care. The standards are intended to help organizations achieve the highest level of performance possible, increase adherence to care guidelines and create an environment of continuous improvement.

"Our Accordant nurses are specially trained to provide disease-specific support to help prevent complications, improve our patients' total health and enhance quality of life," added Trip Hofer, president of Accordant. "In addition, Accordant's unique, proactive disease management approach helps anticipate shifts in patient needs as their condition progresses over time, which is integral in ensuring each patient receives the most clinically appropriate care and support along their health care journey."

Accordant has maintained NCQA DM accreditations since 2003 and was also awarded accreditation in Case Management (CM) in 2016. Accordant's comprehensive programs are backed by the latest in evidence-based medicine and clinical guidelines and are designed to help support patients to better manage their serious health conditions. All of Accordant's DM programs are led by highly trained and specialized nurses who provide comprehensive patient education, medication and symptom management as well as help coordinate and connect patients' care with their other health care providers to help ensure that patients are receiving the most clinically appropriate care.

Specialty pharmacy is one of the fastest growing health care segments in the U.S., and Accordant is an integral part of CVS Specialty. As the largest specialty pharmacy, CVS Specialty provides advanced clinical services for eligible patients who require treatment for rare or complex conditions. This includes drug therapy management, dispensing and infusion services, in addition to customized support and counseling to help ensure appropriate and safe medication use and achieve positive health outcomes. Eligible patients receive ongoing disease education, counseling and benefits verification, as well as coordination of care with multiple health care providers, comprehensive patient education and adherence management.

"NCQA's Disease Management Accreditation program is thorough and rigorous. It's designed to highlight only those programs that truly improve chronic care," said NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane.

NCQA Accreditation standards are developed with input from researchers in the field, the Disease Management Advisory Council (DMAC) and standing committees, employers, both purchasers and operators of disease management programs, state and federal regulators and other experts. NCQA Accreditation standards are purposely set high to encourage organizations to continuously enhance their quality. Accordant's DM accreditation is based on the following categories of standards: Evidence-Based Program; Patient Service; Practitioner Service; Care Coordination; Measurement and Quality Improvement; and Program Operations.

About NCQA
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 Web site (www.ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more informed healthcare choices.

About CVS Health
CVS Health is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on their path to better health. Through its nearly 9,700 retail pharmacies, more than 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with nearly 90 million plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving more than one million patients per year, and expanding specialty pharmacy services, the Company enables people, businesses and communities to manage health in more affordable and effective ways. This unique integrated model increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs. Find more information about how CVS Health is shaping the future of health at https://www.cvshealth.com.

Christina Beckerman
CVS Health
(401)770-8868
[email protected]

SOURCE CVS Health

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