S.C. BlueChoice HealthPlan Retains Top National Accreditation Status for Quality
July 12, 2012
COLUMBIA, SC – July 12, 2012 – The National Committee for QualityAssurance (NCQA) again has awarded BlueChoice® HealthPlan of SouthCarolina an accreditation status of Excellent, the highest possibledesignation.
NCQA awarded the commercial health plan a three-year accreditation afterevaluating the quality of health care and customer service BlueChoiceprovides to its members. BlueChoice has been accredited by NCQA at thehighest level since 1994.
It is partly a health plan’s members that determine whether it earnsNCQA’s Excellent Accreditation status, said Margaret E. O’Kane, NCQA’spresident. Any plan that does so should be proud of its accomplishment.It is a sign that the plan’s delivering great service and great care -it’s met the toughest test in managed care.
A team of physicians and health plan experts conducts accreditationsurveys. The surveys include evaluations of more than 60 standards andselected HEDIS® (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set)measures. More than 90 percent of America’s health plans use HEDIS tomeasure performance on important dimensions of care and service, such aswhether members with chronic conditions get recommended screeningtests, or whether children get immunizations on time.
We voluntarily submit data to NCQA so that the quality of our healthand wellness programs for members, as well as our overall customerservice, can be evaluated by an independent third party, saidBlueChoice President Mary Mazzola Spivey. The fact that we areaccredited at the highest possible level demonstrates our commitment towork with health care providers and our members to improve health carequality and provide demonstrated value.
BlueChoice’s wellness and disease management programs are an importantpart of its efforts to improve health. Offering more than two dozeninnovative Great Expectations® for health programs at no cost,BlueChoice provides its healthy members with guidelines and support forstaying well, and provides information and health coaching to help thosewith chronic conditions learn to better manage their illnesses.
About BlueChoice HealthPlan of South Carolina
Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., BlueChoice HealthPlan of South Carolina (www.BlueChoiceSC.com)is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue ShieldAssociation. BlueChoice HealthPlan has an A+ rating from A.M. Best andan Excellent accreditation status, the highest level awarded, from theNational Committee for Quality Assurance. BlueChoice HealthPlan offersfour categories of group health plans, as well as individual plans foradults, family plans, and a South Carolina Medicaid product.
About NCQA
NCQA (www.NCQA.org) isa private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health carequality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health careorganizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areasof performance. NCQA is committed to providing health care qualityinformation for customers, purchasers, health care providers andresearchers.
