Programs That Help Improve Quality of Health Care in Ohio Recognized at OAHP Annual Convention

COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 24 /PRNewswire/ — The Ohio Association of Health Plans (OAHP) announced this week at its annual convention the 2006 Pinnacle Award winners, recognizing the efforts of Ohio’s health plans to improve the quality of health care throughout the state.

“Health plans have been a vital element in Ohio’s health care industry for many years,” said Kelly McGivern, OAHP President and CEO. “Not only are these companies the source of a growing sector of over 13,000 jobs for Ohioans, they also create and implement numerous initiatives to improve the health status of Ohioans and the efficiency of providing health care benefits. Unfortunately, the value health insurers provide to Ohio have remained largely unrecognized, so we established the Pinnacle Awards in 2002 to help showcase the industry’s best practices.”

This year’s winning programs included initiatives that provided access to reimbursement costs for health services, targeted diabetes screening and management, and focused awareness on postpartum depression. The winners of the awards were as follows:

    Category:       Improvements in Business/Operational Performance    Winners:        Aetna, Inc, Pricing Transparency Project     Category:       Community Outreach and Partnerships    Winners:        Paramount Health Plan, ToledoLucasCountyA1cProgram     Category:       Health Care Programs    Winners:        SummaCare, Improving the Lipid Rate Screening in Diabetes                     Paramount Health Plan, Postpartum Depression Screening   

OAHP invited all member plans to participate in the competition, which provided an opportunity for health plans to demonstrate what they are doing to provide exemplary care and service for their members and community. A panel of experts representing hospitals, doctors, businesses, consumer advocates, and regulators judged the submissions and selected the winners.

“After reviewing the programs outlined in the submissions, it is clear that health plans are not only playing a major role in, but are also creating innovative solutions for providing quality health care benefits for Ohio’s citizens,” McGivern said. “Whether it is reducing the need for emergency room visits, increasing the number of people receiving preventive care, or generating administrative efficiencies within the system, Ohio’s health plans are providing value to Ohio.”

This year, OAHP is increasing recognition of the winning programs by providing contributions to charitable organizations that are also dedicated to serving Ohioans. This increased recognition is made possible through a partnership with Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals.

OAHP is a statewide trade association of companies providing health care benefits to over 6 million Ohioans. The mission of the OAHP is to promote and advocate quality health care and access to a variety of affordable health care benefits for all consumers in Ohio.

Ohio Association of Health Plans

CONTACT: Kelly McGivern, President and CEO of Ohio Association of HealthPlans, +1-614-228-4662, or kmcgivern@oahp.org

Web site: http://www.oahp.org/