"Excellent" status reaffirmed for Network Health Plan
Network Health Plan receives highest reaccreditation level for quality of care for the fourth time
07 / 22 / 2011
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Maria Nelson, Media Relations
Affinity Health System
(920) 720-1752
(920) 554-0686 (pager)
Menasha, Wis. – The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has reaffirmed its three-year accreditation status of Excellent for Network Health Plan. This accreditation status—the highest possible level—is based on a voluntary review of how a health plan ensures that its members are receiving high quality care.
NCQA is an independent, non-profit organization that assesses and reports on the quality of the nation’s managed care plans. To earn Excellent status, health plans must demonstrate levels of service and clinical quality that meet or exceed NCQA’s rigorous requirements for consumer protection and quality improvement.
"This recognition—the fourth time we’ve been reviewed by the NCQA—is rewarding for all the employees at Network Health Plan," Sheila Jenkins, president of Network Health Plan.
The NCQA accreditat ion process evaluates how well a health plan manages quality throughout every part of its delivery system—physicians, hospitals, affiliated providers and administrative services—to continuously improve health care for its members.
The NCQA accreditation survey process includes on and off-site evaluations of more than 60 standards and selected Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) performance measures conducted by a team of physicians and managed care experts. A committee of physicians analyzes the team’s finding and assigns an accreditation level based on the performance level of the plan being evaluated to NCQA’s standards.
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For the Editor:
Affinity Health System, a faith-based regional health care network, is the Fox Valley’s second-largest employer, according to the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry. For the fourth consecutive year, Affinity has been named one of the nation’s top 64 health systems based on clinical performance according to Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of health care. For ten consecutive years, Affinity Health System has been named to the SDI (formerly Verispan) Integrated Health Network Top 100, an annual assessment of the 100 most highly integrated health care networks in the nation. Both St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton and Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh rank among the top 1 percent of hospitals nationwide in terms of quality and efficiency, as determined by the 2007 Premier | CareScience Select practice National Quality Award. Members of Affinity include Mercy Medical Center and Mercy Health Foundation, Oshkosh; St. Elizabeth Hospital and the St. Elizabeth Hospital Foundation, Appleton; Affinity Medical Group, a regional network of 25 family practice and specialty clinics – 22 of which are recognized as NCQA Level III medical homes, the highest level of recognition – in 14 communities; Calumet Medical Center, Chilton; and Affinity Occupational Health.