San Francisco Health Plan is Recognized for the Seventh Consecutive Year as the Recipient of the 2014 California Department of Health Care Services Quality Award

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- San Francisco Health Plan (SFHP), a community health plan serving over 120,000 San Francisco residents, announced today that it is the recipient of the 2014 Bronze Award for Excellence in Quality Care from the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS).

Award rankings are determined by performance in the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS), a national set of measures for clinical care delivered to health plan members, developed by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Examples of HEDIS measures include the percentage of children who receive all recommended immunizations by the age of two, and the percentage of members with diabetes who were in control of their Hemoglobin A1c levels.

SFHP's HEDIS scores for services provided in 2012 reached the high performance levels (within the top 10 percent of all Medicaid plans nationwide) in 12 out of 26 measures. As a result of these scores, SFHP earned the 2014 Bronze Award out of 46 participating health plans statewide.

"To be honored for seven consecutive years is a testament to our mission of providing superior, affordable health care to the people of San Francisco," said John F. Grgurina, Jr., CEO of San Francisco Health Plan. "That promise of excellence and dedication to quality care is our enduring core value. I could not be more proud to work alongside our network of providers, our Governing Board, and the entire SFHP team."

Launched in 1997, SFHP now provides health care to over 120,000 members. Combined with Healthy San Francisco, the City's non-insurance health care access program, SFHP provides services to over 145,000 residents, or over 17% of the City's population, which is one in six San Francisco residents.

SFHP's focus on quality has made it one of the leading community health plans in the state.

According to Dr. Scott Endsley, Interim Chief Medical Officer, this past year was one in which SFHP and our providers focused on improving the quality of care our members received.

"We've implemented clinical quality improvement initiatives designed to motivate our members to become active participants in their own care," said Dr. Endsley. "Efforts including partnering with our providers on our Practice Improvement Program, incentive programs, and targeted improvement make a positive difference in the overall care our members receive."

The HEDIS 2014 Quality Award reflects results reported to the state in 2013 based on 2012 data.

About San Francisco Health Plan
San Francisco Health Plan, a licensed community health plan providing affordable health coverage to over 120,000 low and moderate-income families residing in San Francisco. SFHP is 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. San Francisco Health Plan is also the third party administrator for the nationally recognized Healthy San Francisco program. For more information on SFHP, visit www.sfhp.org,

SOURCE San Francisco Health Plan