Six AmeriHealth Caritas Medicaid Plans Recognized by NCQA for Multicultural Health Care Excellence

AmeriHealth Caritas, a national leader in Medicaid managed care and other health care solutions for those most in need, announced today that six of its Medicaid health plans have received the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA’s) Multicultural Health Care Distinction. The distinction is given to health plans that provide culturally appropriate care and quality improvement initiatives in serving diverse populations.

NCQA awarded the distinction, which is valid for two years, to AmeriHealth Caritas Medicaid health plans in Louisiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania (two plans), South Carolina, and the District of Columbia.

• In 2011, AmeriHealth Caritas’ South Carolina Medicaid plan and its two Pennsylvania Medicaid plans were three of the first seven health plans in America that were awarded the distinction. These three plans have since earned the distinction five additional times in a row.
• AmeriHealth Caritas’ Michigan Medicaid health plan received the distinction for the fourth time.
• Its District of Columbia and Louisiana Medicaid plans earned the distinction for the third time.

“Core to our mission is addressing the health disparities that affect Americans of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds. Receiving this honor is evidence of the success our health plans have had in promoting health equity,” said AmeriHealth Caritas Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Paul A. Tufano. “We will continue to develop innovative solutions to reduce barriers to care and address the unique needs of the diverse populations we serve with the highest level of quality.”

NCQA awards distinction to organizations that meet or exceed its rigorous requirements for multicultural health care. The Multicultural Health Care program evaluates how well an organization complies with standards for the following areas:

• Collection of race, ethnicity and language data.
• Provision of language assistance.
• Cultural responsiveness.
• Quality improvement of culturally and linguistically appropriate services.
• Reduction of health care disparities.

NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA’s website contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices. NCQA can also be found online on Twitter, on Facebook, and on LinkedIn.