Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia awarded accredited status by national quality organization
PARKERSBURG, W.Va., Sept. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia (Highmark West Virginia) has achieved national recognition for quality for its commercial PPO and exchange PPO products, as the plan was recently awarded accredited status by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
NCQA Health Plan Accreditation evaluates how well a health plan manages 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.
This was the first NCQA survey for the plan, with the status capped at "Accredited" until HEDIS® and CAHPS® results have been collected and reported to NCQA.
"This recognition is very significant since NCQA is widely known as having the most rigorous and thorough program that evaluates health plans," said Carey Vinson, M.D., vice president of quality and medical performance management at Highmark Health Services. "This says to members that Highmark West Virginia's operations are strong and that Highmark West Virginia spends a great deal of time and effort to ensure quality and safety is a top priority."
This evaluation of Highmark West Virginia focused on a number of critical operational areas including: quality improvement, utilization management, credentialing/recredentialing, member rights and responsibilities and member connections.
"As more members are getting increasingly involved in their health care, the member satisfaction evaluation is very important," said Dr. Vinson. "We want to make sure that Highmark West Virginia has the latest transparency tools so members have the most relevant information as they seek care."
Vinson also noted that health plans with NCQA accreditation generally outperform plans that do not have such recognition.
SOURCE Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia
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