Newsroom

November 7 , 2008
Tufts Health Plan is Ranked Second in the Nation for HMO and POS Plans by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, U.S. News & World Report

Watertown, MA - Based on criteria that measured clinical performance and member satisfaction among 287 of the nation's health plans, Tufts Health Plan today announced that it has been named number two in the country for its commercial HMO/POS combined product, for a third consecutive year, and achieved a number 10 ranking for its Medicare Advantage program by US News & World Report and the National Committee of Quality Assurance (NCQA).

The announcement of plan rankings, part of the annual, in-depth "America's Best Health Plans" feature article released today, illustrates the commitment of Tufts Health Plan to improving quality and member satisfaction. In the past year Tufts Health Plan proactively reached out to more than 200,000 members for preventive screening, disease management, and behavior health. Additionally, Tufts Health plan continued to grow its membership, and maintained a fiscal discipline that kept its administrative costs in check while achieving its ongoing quality improvement effort and high degree of member satisfaction.

America's Best Health Plans rankings are based on prevention, treatment and customer experience scores on a range of measures that health plans voluntarily report to NCQA. These scores are compiled in NCQA's Quality Compass database.

"Our programs are designed to improve the health of our members and to responsibly control costs with the goal of achieving the best value, which is accomplished by balancing quality and cost. It is gratifying to achieve this sustained recognition of our commitment to clinical excellence. Our successful medical management program is evolving to include more than evidence-based medicine - we are also seeking to engage with every one of our 700,000 members in order to help them achieve their optimal health. We have introduced well-designed programs, made sure they work efficiently and continue to see results," says Allen Hinkle, M.D., Tufts Health Plan's senior vice president and chief medical officer.

In addition, through its accreditation process, NCQA has awarded Tufts Health Plan's HMO/POS combined products and Tufts Health Plan Medicare Preferred, Excellent accreditation status.

The NCQA accreditation survey process includes on-site and off-site evaluations of more than 60 standards and selected 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.

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. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.

Tufts Health Plan is a Massachusetts-based health plan nationally recognized for its commitment to providing innovative, high-quality health care coverage. The plan supports its members and employers with an array of physician led health management programs. These programs use evidence-based medicine to design coverage that supports proven approaches to providing care and improving quality. Tufts Health Plan's HMO, and POS are ranked second in the nation and its Medicare Advantage program has been ranked tenth in the nation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Those products also maintain Excellent accreditation status from NCQA. More information about the organization can be found on its Web site www.tuftshealthplan.com.

###