RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 30 /PRNewswire/ — The Anthem HealthKeepers Plus plans of HealthKeepers, Inc., Peninsula Health Care, Inc. and Priority Health Care, Inc. (the affiliated HMOs of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia) offered to Medicaid-eligible Virginians are ranked No. 19 in the nation, according to U.S.News & World Report/National Committee for Quality Assurance’s America’s Best Health Plans 2006. This recognition as one of the nation’s best health plans is the result of outstanding overall performance in clinical care measures, member satisfaction and NCQA accreditation.
“Promoting and providing access to high-quality medical care for our members is an essential part of our mission.” said Tom Byrd, president, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. “Working in collaboration with hospitals and physicians, we continually look for new and better ways to control and prevent disease and ensure our members are receiving the care they need when they need it. We want to help our members live as healthy and productive lives as possible.”
The national rankings are based on a complex, weighted methodology that combines a health plan’s NCQA Accreditation Standards score and multiple measures of clinical performance and service. These measures are grouped into four categories: access to care, overall member satisfaction, prevention and treatment. A detailed description of the methodology applied by NCQA is available on its Web site at http://www.ncqa.org/.
“This ranking reflects Anthem’s commitment to quality and service,” said Margaret O’Kane, NCQA president. “Not only has Anthem excelled at providing its members with access to high-quality clinical care and measuring its effectiveness, its plans have also received top-notch ratings from its members for service.”
The Proof is in the Program
The Anthem HealthKeepers Plus Outreach program has played an important role in improving the health of Medicaid members by providing education and assistance and empowering them to take personal responsibility for their health. Anthem HealthKeepers Plus Outreach representatives accomplish this by visiting with Virginia Medicaid members face-to-face and educating them on their benefits and more importantly, how to access them. In addition, Anthem HealthKeepers Plus Outreach representatives assist high-risk Medicaid members by coordinating additional care with nurse case managers. Anthem HealthKeepers Plus Outreach representatives play a vital role because they are the front line for Medicaid members who directly benefit from the education they supply.
About NCQA
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is a private, non- profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. NCQA provides health care quality information free of charge through the Web and the media in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices. More information can be found at http://www.ncqa.org/.
About U.S.News & World Report
Founded in 1933, the weekly news magazine, U.S.News & World Report, is devoted to investigative journalism and reporting and to analyzing national and international affairs, politics, business, health, science, technology and social trends. Through its annual rankings of America’s Best Colleges, America’s Best Graduate Schools and America’s Best Hospitals, and its News You Can Use Brand, U.S.News has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. Available online at http://www.usnews.com/, U.S.News, for the second time in a row, was named the most credible newsweekly by the Pew Biennial News Consumption Survey and the most credible news organization in print. “America’s Best Health Plans” is a trademark of U.S.News & World Report.
About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia
Anthem Health Plans of Virginia, Inc., d/b/a Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia is a subsidiary of WellPoint Inc. WellPoint’s mission is to improve the lives of the people it serves and the health of its communities. WellPoint, Inc. is the largest health benefits company in terms of commercial membership in the United States. Through its nationwide networks, the company delivers a number of leading health benefit solutions through a broad portfolio of integrated health care plans and related services, along with a wide range of specialty products such as life and disability insurance benefits, pharmacy benefit management, dental, vision, behavioral health benefit services, as well as long term care insurance and flexible spending accounts. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, WellPoint is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and serves its members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as Blue Cross Blue Shield in 10 New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and as Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), Wisconsin; and through UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available at http://www.wellpoint.com/.
For more information on Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia, please visit http://www.anthem.com/ and choose “Virginia.”
* HEDIS is a registered trademark of NCQA.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia
CONTACT: Scott Golden of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia,+1-804-354-5252
Web Site: http://www.anthem.com/http://www.ncqa.org/http://www.usnews.com/http://www.wellpoint.com/
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