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UPMC Health Plan Earns 'Excellent' Rating for Its Medicare Product, UPMC for Life

Posted on: Monday, 18 December 2006, 12:00 CST

PITTSBURGH, Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- UPMC Health Plan has earned an "Excellent" rating from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for its Medicare product, UPMC for Life. This was the first year that the Medicare product was eligible for evaluation.

UPMC Health Plan now has an "Excellent" rating (the highest available from NCQA) for all three of its product lines - commercial HMO/POS, Medicaid HMO, and Medicare HMO.

"We are proud to have earned this rating," said Diane P. Holder, president of UPMC Health Plan. "This shows that our commitment to service and quality has been recognized across the board for all of our programs and services.

"Most important, high scores indicate that the clinical outcomes for members insured through our health plans are among the best in the nation for preventive services such as immunizations and mammograms as well as for measures related to chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma. Our health plan physicians and nurses work hand-in-hand with our broad network of doctors and hospitals."

NCQA sets standards for the quality of care and service that health plans provide to their members. NCQA accreditation is nationally recognized as a seal of approval. NCQA ratings are based on clinical performance as well as patient experience and satisfaction.

UPMC Health Plan is one of the top 10 health plans in the United States according to the U.S. News & World Report/NCQA 2006 listing of "America's Best Health Plans." More than 300 plans nationwide were evaluated for this listing. UPMC for You, the Health Plan's Medicaid program, was listed among the top 10 Medicaid plans nationally. Both UPMC Health Plan and UPMC for You ranked as the top health plans in the state for their respective categories, as determined by U.S. News & World Report/ NCQA.

Because this was UPMC for Life's first evaluation, it was not eligible for consideration for the "America's Best Health Plans" rankings.

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and manages the evolution of HEDIS, the tool NCQA uses to measure and report on the performance of the nation's health plans. "America's Best Health Plans" is a registered trademark of U.S. News & World Report.

About UPMC Health Plan

UPMC Health Plan, the second-largest health insurer in Western Pennsylvania, is owned by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), one of the nation's top-ranked health systems. As part of an integrated health care delivery system, UPMC Health Plan partners with UPMC and community network providers to improve clinical outcomes as well as the health of the greater community. According to the U.S. News & World Report/NCQA's listing of "America's Best Health Plans," UPMC Health Plan is the top-ranked health plan in Pennsylvania and one of the top 10 health plans in the United States. The Health Plan is also the highest-ranked managed care company in the nation for breast cancer screening. The integrated partner companies of the UPMC Insurance Services Division - which includes UPMC Health Plan, Work Partners, EAP Solutions, UPMC for You (Medical Assistance), and Community Care Behavioral Health - offer a full range of group health insurance, Medicare, Children's Health Insurance Program, Medical Assistance, behavioral health, employee assistance, and workers' compensation products and services to over 900,000 members. Our local provider network includes UPMC as well as community providers, totaling more than 80 hospitals and more than 7,000 physicians in a 28-county region.

UPMC Health Plan

CONTACT: Michael Taylor of UPMC Health Plan, +1-412-454-7534

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

Source: PRNewswire

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