Wellmark Health Plan Of Iowa Ranks In The Top Third According To U.S. News And World Report/NCQA “America’s Best Health Plans 2008”
November 7, 2008
DES MOINES –In a respected annual ranking, Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc. has jumped in its position. The ranking of accredited commercial managed care plans in America, published jointly by U.S. News & World Report and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), has just been released. Wellmark's Health Plan's ranking of 52nd of 239 ranked plans is markedly higher than last year's ranking of 63rd out of 224 plans. Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, an HMO-product, serves nearly 237,000 members in 82 counties in Iowa.
The November 17th, 2008 issue of U.S. News & World Report ranks the nation's best health plans based on clinical quality, member satisfaction and NCQA Accreditation scores.
"This achievement is truly a team effort, as it wouldn't be possible without the collaboration of physicians and hospitals to help their patients and our members receive quality care and service," says Tim Weber, president, Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc.
Previously, for the eighth consecutive year, Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa earned the NCQA's highest rating, an "Excellent" Accreditation, based on the health plan's HEDIS® (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set) scores and member satisfaction scores.
The "Excellent" Accreditation is granted only to plans that demonstrate levels of service and clinical quality that meet NCQA's rigorous requirements for consumer protection and quality improvement. Plans earning this Accreditation must also achieve HEDIS results that are in the highest range of national or regional performance. HEDIS was established by large employers to create a standard set of measures to allow employers to compare health plans and to help guide efforts to improve health plans and the overall health care system.
About Wellmark, Inc.
Wellmark, Inc. (www.wellmark.com) does business as Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa. Wellmark and its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, including Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc., insure or pay health benefit claims for approximately two million individuals. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
America’s Best Health Plans is a trademark of U.S. News & World Report
NCQA
NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations, recognizes physicians and physician groups in key clinical areas and manages the evolution of HEDIS, the tool the nation’s health plans use to measure and report on their performance. “HEDIS” is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
