DENVER, May 4, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CIGNA HealthCare of Colorado, Inc. HMO and POS products achieved “Excellent” accreditation status by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), an independent not- for-profit organization and leading accrediting body for health plans in the United States. NCQA evaluates how well a health plan manages all parts of its delivery system, including physicians, hospitals and administrative and is an important part of continuous quality improvement.
The health plan received top marks in each category evaluated: Access and Service; Qualified Providers; Staying Healthy; and Getting Better and Living With Illness.
“Being accredited with an `Excellent’ rating is the highest honor we can receive,” said Daryl Edmonds, president of CIGNA HealthCare of Colorado. “Health care companies who receive ‘Excellent’ accreditation must have HEDIS(R) results in the highest range of national performance.”
The accreditation process involves intense documentation and rigorous on- site and off-site evaluations of more than 60 standards and selected Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS(R)) performance measures. HEDIS(R), a registered trademark of NCQA, is a set of standardized performance measures designed to ensure that purchasers and consumers have the information they need to reliably compare the performance of managed health care plans. The national HEDIS(R) results for all participating health plans were released in the NCQA Quality Compass(R) report in September 2003.
HEDIS(R) effectiveness of care (EOC) measures determine how well health plans perform in making sure that their members are receiving necessary care such as breast and cervical cancer screenings, immunizations, prenatal care or Beta Blocker treatment after a heart attack. According to NCQA, health plans which receive an Excellent Accreditation, such as CIGNA HealthCare of Colorado, consistently score in the highest range on the EOC measures compared to their national and regional counterparts.
Earning “Excellent” Accreditation reflects a health plan’s ability to work with their members and their physicians to improve the quality of clinical care. “We are proud to be recognized for our efforts to deliver access to quality care and service and appreciate the support of physicians and other providers who work closely with us to best serve our members,” said Edmonds.
CIGNA HealthCare of Colorado is one of the oldest and largest health insurance and employee benefit providers in the state, serving approximately 350,000 residents. CIGNA HealthCare, headquartered in Bloomfield, Conn., provides medical benefits through managed care and indemnity health care plans to approximately 10.2 million people nationwide, dental coverage to approximately 11.1 million, behavioral health coverage to approximately 14.1 million, and pharmacy benefits to approximately 8 million. “CIGNA” and “CIGNA HealthCare” refer to various operating subsidiaries of CIGNA Corporation . Products and services are provided by these operating subsidiaries and not by CIGNA Corporation.
CIGNA HealthCare
Contact: Tania Graves, CIGNA HealthCare, +1-602-861-8181,tania.graves@cigna.com
Web site: http://www.cigna.com/
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