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Molina Healthcare of Michigan Recognized By National Committee for Quality Assurance for Innovative Program

Posted on: Friday, 19 September 2008, 09:00 CDT

Molina Healthcare of Michigan has been awarded the prestigious "Recognizing Innovation in Multicultural Health Care Award" by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for efforts to reach across cultural and language barriers and provide African-American health plan members in Michigan with services that meet their unique needs.

"At Molina Healthcare of Michigan, we recognize the need for a program like Check Up or Check Out!" said Jesse Thomas, president. "The African-American male population has the shortest life expectancy of all males in Michigan, but the number of black men who take preventive health exams is one of the lowest in Detroit. It is crucial that we continuously educate and encourage our members to take precautionary measures to stay healthy and well."

Approximately 80% of Michigan's African-American residents reside in the Detroit area, where the morbidity and mortality rates are the highest in the state and the top five causes of death are heart disease, cancer, stroke, unintentional injuries and diabetes. In 2006, only 7% of African-American males in Detroit received preventive health exams (Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), Vital Records, 2006). To increase this group's utilization of preventive health care services, Molina Healthcare of Michigan partnered with MDCH, to initiate the Check Up or Check Out! program. As a result of the program, preventive exam rates increased from 7% to 19% through personal outreach, education and incentives. Testing rates for cholesterol, glucose, colorectal and prostate cancer more than doubled since the program's inception in 2006.

Molina Healthcare of Michigan's innovative efforts to improve the lives of African-American men is a model for health plans across the country," said Margaret E. O'Kane, president of NCQA. "The gaps in care that persist for minorities and for non-English-speakers result in serious consequences: unnecessary disability and premature death for thousands."

Molina Healthcare of Michigan will be recognized at a ceremony in San Francisco, Calif., on September 18. The award, sponsored by The California Endowment with support from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and The Office of Minority Health, is part of NCQA's efforts to improve the quality of health care in the U.S. through development of a truly multicultural health care system.

According to the landmark 2002 Institute of Medicine study, "Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care," minorities in the U.S. tend to get lower quality health care than whites, even when such factors as medical conditions, insurance and economic status are equivalent.

About Molina Healthcare

Molina Healthcare, Inc. is a multi-state managed care organization that arranges for the delivery of health care services to persons eligible for Medicaid, Medicare, and other government-sponsored programs for low-income families and individuals. Altogether, Molina Healthcare's nine licensed health plan subsidiaries in California, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas, Utah, and Washington currently serve approximately 1.2 million members. More information about Molina Healthcare, Inc. and Molina Healthcare of Michigan can be obtained at www.molinahealthcare.com.

Source: Business Wire

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