Network Health Plan cited by NCQA for member quality
06 / 14 / 2006
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Maria Heim, Media Relations
Affinity Health System
(920) 720-1752
(920) 554-0686 (pager)
MENASHA, Wis. – Network Health Plan has earned a Quality Plus Distinction award by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). It is one of only two state health plans to receive this distinction.
Network Health Plan was cited for care management—specifically, how well Network Health Plan works with its members by providing health information and wellness services, as well as helping them manage their disease states, including:
- Affinity NurseDirect, a 24-hour health information telephone service that is staffed with registered nurses who answer medical questions and concerns from community residents.
- Health and wellness services that educate and empower members to take control of their health issues.
“In effect, we’ve been effective in creating partnerships between the patient, physician and ourselves to strengthen their care management, empowering patients to take an active role in their health and wellness issues,” says Sheila Jenkins, Network Health Plan president.
Quality Plus is a voluntary program for all NCQA-accredited organizations. Network Health Plan has been accredited with an “Excellent” status, the highest possible level. Additionally, NCQA and U.S. News & World Report earlier this year ranked Network Health Plan 16th among 257 rated health plans in the nation in terms of customer satisfaction and clinical performance.
“This voluntary program allows us to be a front-runner of health plans nationally,” Jenkins says. “We are able to survey on measures that will become the standard in future NCQA scoring.”
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 provides health care quality information free of charge through the Web and media in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.
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For the Editor:
Affinity Health System, a Catholic mission-oriented regional health care network, is a partnership of Ministry Health Care and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare. Affinity Health System is the Fox Valley’s third largest employer, according to the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and is nationally listed among the top 50 hospitals for quality and efficiency (Thomson Reuters, Modern Healthcare). For eight consecutive years, Affinity Health System has been named to the SDI Health (formerly Verispan) Integrated Health Network Top 100, an annual assessment of the 100 most highly integrated health care networks in the nation – Affinity ranks no. 29 in the 2009 report. Both St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton and Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh rank among the top 1 percent among hospitals nationwide in terms of quality and efficiency, as determined by the 2007 Premier | CareScience Select practice National Quality Award. Network Health Plan has achieved Excellent accreditation status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the highest possible level. It is ranked 31st in the nation, according to the U.S. News and World Report/NCQA Best Health Plans in America listing. Members of Affinity include Mercy Medical Center and Mercy Health Foundation, Oshkosh; St. Elizabeth Hospital and the St. Elizabeth Hospital Community Foundation, Appleton; Affinity Medical Group, a regional network of 22 family practice and specialty clinics – including two fully operational Medical Home models – in 14 communities; Calumet Medical Center, Chilton; Network Health Plan, Menasha; and Affinity Occupational Health.