Medford-Based Medicaid Health Plan 5th Nationally

Network Health, Inc., a Massachusetts health plan that provides high-quality health care coverage to more than 160,000 Massachusetts residents with low and moderate incomes, announced that the National Committee For Quality Assurance (NCQA) ranked Network Health as one of the highest-rated health plans in the nation — the fifth-ranked Medicaid health plan nationally — according to NCQA’s 2010 – 2011 Health Insurance Plan Rankings — Medicaid.

“Network Health is thrilled to be recognized as one of the nation’s top Medicaid health plans,” said Christina Severin, Network Health president. “The ranking reinforces our commitment to providing Massachusetts’ most vulnerable population with access to high-quality health care.”

NCQA is the nation’s most trusted and comprehensive independent source for evaluating health care quality and value. In July 2010, Network Health received “Excellent” Health Plan Accreditation, for its Network Health Together® (MassHealth) plan after a rigorous two-year review. To earn NCQA accreditation, health plans face a challenging set of more than 60 standards and must report on more than 40 performance areas.

NCQA ranked more than 100 Medicaid health plans and based its Medicaid health plan rankings on clinical performance, member satisfaction, and level of NCQA Accreditation. To be eligible for NCQA’s Health Insurance Plan Rankings, health plans must authorize public release of its performance information and submit enough data for a statistically valid analysis.

About Network Health

Since 1997, Network Health, Inc. has provided Massachusetts residents with low and moderate incomes access to high-quality health care. Based in Medford, Mass., Network Health is a comprehensive health plan serving members through its Network Health Together (MassHealth) and Network Health Forward® (Commonwealth Care) plans.

Network Health provides Network Health Together members all the benefits of MassHealth, plus extra free and discounted benefits. Network Health’s Commonwealth Care plan extends access to affordable health care for qualified Massachusetts residents 19 years or older who earn at or below 300% of the federal poverty level, or up to approximately $32,496 a year for an individual (up to approximately $66,156 a year for a family of four). In addition to core health care benefits, Network Health offers Network Health Forward members extra benefits designed to encourage wellness.

To improve the health and well-being of its members and their diverse communities, Network Health offers an integrated care model, providing a team of in-house medical, mental health, social care, and pharmacy professionals to coordinate member care, and partners with more than 18,000 primary care providers, specialists, hospitals, and community organizations across Massachusetts.

Network Health earned National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA) “Excellent” Health Plan Accreditation, NCQA’s highest accreditation rating, for its Network Health Together plan. Additionally, Network Health is nationally recognized for its innovative programs, garnering a Case In Point Platinum Award for Best Overall Case/Care Management Program from Dorland Health, and for having the Top Leadership Team among health plans nationally from HealthLeaders Media.

Individuals must be eligible for MassHealth to join Network Health Together, a MassHealth plan. To learn about MassHealth eligibility, Massachusetts residents can contact the MassHealth Enrollment Center at 888-665-9993 (TTY: 888-665-9997), Monday through Friday, from 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. Once enrolled, MassHealth members can learn about their MassHealth health plan options by calling the MassHealth Customer Service Center at 800-841-2900 (TTY: 800-497-4648), Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To learn about Commonwealth Care health plan options, Massachusetts residents can call the Commonwealth Care Customer Service Center at 877-MA-ENROLL or 877-623-6765 (TTY: 877-623-7773), Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or they can visit www.mahealthconnector.org.

About the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2010, NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information for consumers, purchasers, health care providers, and researchers.

The NCQA seal is a widely recognized symbol of quality. Organizations incorporating the seal into advertising and marketing materials must first pass a rigorous, comprehensive review and must annually report on their performance. For consumers and employers, the seal is a reliable indicator that an organization is well-managed and delivers high-quality care and service.

NCQA has helped to build consensus around important health care quality standards by working with large employers, policymakers, doctors, patients, and health plans to decide what’s important, how to measure it, and how to promote improvement. These standards will promote the adoption of strategies that we believe will improve care, enhance service, and reduce costs, such as paying providers based on performance, leveraging the Web to give consumers more information, disease management, and physician-level measurement.

Health plans in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico are NCQA accredited. These plans cover 109 million Americans or 70.5% of all Americans enrolled in health plans. Forty states recognize NCQA Accreditation as meeting some or all of their requirements through deeming; one dozen states mandate it. Medicare and Medicaid recognize NCQA accreditation through deeming, as well.

For more information about NCQA and the accreditation process, please visit www.ncqa.org.

– Information from Network Health, Inc.