San Francisco Health Plan Earns Highest Honor in Statewide Recognition Program

For the fourth consecutive year, San Francisco Health Plan earns Department of Health Care Services Gold Award for Quality Care

SAN FRANCISCO, July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- San Francisco Health Plan (SFHP), the City's community health plan serving over 60,000 residents, announced it is the exclusive recipient of the 2010 Gold Award for Excellence in Quality Care from the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). This is the fourth year in a row that SFHP has received the honor.

Award rankings were determined by Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) results, a nationally recognized performance measure of health plans developed by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

SFHP was the only health plan out of 21 Medi-Cal managed care health plans statewide that achieved HEDIS scores at or above the high performance levels in 11 of 15 measures.

"This award acknowledges the effort of the San Francisco provider network and the responsibility they take for the health of our members," said Dr. Kelly Pfeifer, SFHP Medical Director. "Instead of waiting until patients are sick, our doctors and clinics reach out to make sure our members are getting the preventive care they need to stay healthy."

SFHP motivates members to become active participants in their own care. For example, teens that are prone to avoid doctor visits are provided with free movie tickets for receiving an annual physical exam.

"This is a significant achievement for SFHP and its dedicated provider network. We have been successful in winning this award year after year only through commitment and unmatched dedication of our staff and the providers in our network.  We are honored to receive this award and are proud of our partnership with our providers," said John F. Grgurina, Jr., CEO of San Francisco Health Plan. 

Through sharing best practices and technical assistance for providers, and providing outreach and incentives for members, SFHP has become one of the leading community health plans in the state.

The HEDIS awards for 2010 are determined by results achieved in the 2009 calendar year.

About San Francisco Health Plan

San Francisco Health Plan, a licensed community health plan providing affordable health coverage to over 60,000 low and moderate-income families residing in San Francisco. SFHP was designed for and by the residents it serves – many of whom would not be able to otherwise obtain health care for themselves or their families. Through SFHP, members have access to a full spectrum of medical services including preventive care, hospitalization, prescription drugs, family planning, and substance abuse programs. SFHP's mission is to provide superior, affordable health care emphasizing prevention and promoting healthy living with the goal of improving the quality of life for the people of San Francisco. For more information on SFHP, visit www.sfhp.org.

About HEDIS

HEDIS (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set) is a set of standardized performance measures designed to ensure that purchasers and consumers have the information they need to reliably compare the performance of managed health care plans. The performance measures in HEDIS are related to many significant public health issues such as cancer, heart disease, smoking, asthma and diabetes. Health Plan performance is reported publicly through consumer materials to help people choose the best health plan for their needs. HEDIS has become more than a set of measures; it is part of an integrated system to establish accountability in health care nationwide. HEDIS is sponsored, supported and maintained by National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).  For more information on HEDIS, visit www.ncqa.org

SOURCE San Francisco Health Plan