GHI Scores High With National Business Coalition on Health

NEW YORK, Aug. 15 /PRNewswire/ — Group Health Incorporated (GHI) has again received some of the highest ratings for PPO health plans in the New York Region in the annual evaluation of local and national health plans conducted by the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH). With excellent overall rankings, GHI was named the regional benchmark for the New York market in four areas: behavioral health, prevention and health promotion, pharmaceutical management, and consumer engagement.

The NBCH survey, eValue8, annually gathers information in critical health care areas for HMO/POS plans, as well as for PPO plans and networks. eValue8 measures and compares health plans on the following criteria:

   — Health information technology   — Consumer engagement and support   — Practitioner engagement and support   — Primary prevention and health promotion   — Health disparities   — Disease management   — Pharmacy management   — Behavioral health   — Provider incentives and rewards   — Program administration   — Financial stability   

The survey gathers input from purchasers, businesses, and health plans; incorporates guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, George Washington University and others in public health and academia; and works in concert with accrediting bodies that include the National Committee on Quality Assurance and the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

The eValue8 survey is widely used by businesses and national employers to assess and manage the quality of their health care vendors throughout the nation. Health plan purchasers use results from the survey to evaluate and compare both local and national plans.

The New York Business Group on Health (NYBGH) conducts the eValue8 survey and review process in the New York Metro area. Says NYBGH Executive Director Laurel Pickering, “We are pleased to partner with GHI on this project. We appreciate their support for eValue8, and we are pleased to see their outstanding performance and steady improvement.”

“GHI supports participation in the rigorous annual eValue8 survey for several reasons,” says Dr. Maria Lopes, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. “In addition to providing industry benchmarks for excellence and quality, it is a valuable tool for self assessment. Always keeping the consumer in mind, it enables us to identify those areas where we are strong and those areas with opportunity for improvement in serving our customers. Most importantly, eValue8 and other accreditation and review processes hold health care coverage providers to the highest standards of excellence and quality.”

About GHI

Group Health Incorporated (GHI) is a statewide health insurer serving New Yorkers since 1937. GHI and its wholly owned subsidiary, GHI HMO, provide health care coverage and administrative services to more than 2.6 million people. GHI offers customers a variety of PPO, EPO and HMO programs, as well as prescription drug, dental, and vision plans. GHI’s network in the tri-state area includes nearly 79,000 practitioners at over 120,000 locations. Throughout its history GHI has pioneered many of the programs that are now standard in the health insurance field. For additional information about GHI, please visit http://www.ghi.com/.

Group Health Incorporated

CONTACT: Ilene Margolin, +1-212-615-0098; or Kristen McMahon,+1-212-843-8268, kmcmahon@rubenstein.com, Rubenstein Associates – PublicRelations, both for GHI

Web site: http://www.ghi.com/