VCU Health System’s Virginia Premier recognized as top Medicaid health plan in Virginia.
The Virginia Commonwealth University Health System’s Virginia Premier Health Plan was recently honored for its innovative programs and comprehensive coverage by the National Committee for Quality Assurance and in the U.S. News rankings.
Virginia Premier’s health plan was selected in the U.S. News Media Group and NCQA’s fourth edition of America’s Best Health Plans as the 24th-ranked Medicaid plan in the country and the top program in Virginia.
“America’s Best Health Plans places health plans nationwide on a level playing field and provides crucial information when consumers need it most,” said Margaret E. O’Kane, NCQA president. “These rankings recognize the best health plans and identify those that are committed to improving their quality of care through measurement and reporting.”
The 2008 guide — released in November and featured in an issue of U.S. News, as well as on www.usnews.com — provides comprehensive rankings and important consumer information for nearly 700 commercial, Medicare and Medicaid health plans. The rankings are based on more than 100 aspects of prevention, treatment and consumer experience.
“Health consumers today are overwhelmed with data and not all of it is clear, let alone trustworthy,” said Avery Comarow, U.S. News editor of America’s Best Health Plans. “The health plan rankings are part of the U.S. News mission to bring consumers data that is reliable, understandable and timely.”
NCQA also honored Virginia Premier’s efforts to reach across cultural and language barriers and provide health plan members in Virginia with services that meet their unique needs.
The Recognizing Innovation in Multicultural Health Care Award — sponsored by the California Endowment with support from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Office of Minority Health — is part of NCQA’s efforts to improve the quality of health care in the U.S. through development of a truly multicultural health care system.
“Virginia Premier’s innovative efforts to improve the lives of African-American women and their infants are a model for health plans across the country,” O’Kane said. “As a nation of diverse cultures, languages and lifestyles, it’s essential for health plans to recognize the health risks and vulnerabilities of special populations and design programs that reach out and improve the quality of those members’ lives.”
To reduce disparities and barriers to breastfeeding, Virginia Premier collaborated with the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services and other community agencies and regional health departments to develop a comprehensive program for the African-American community.
The initiative consisted of numerous interventions designed to encourage, support and educate women about breastfeeding that, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, significantly reduces the risk of a large number of acute and chronic diseases and provides infants with significant advantages in general health, growth and development.
“As a result of this multifaceted initiative, breastfeeding rates among African-American members in the pilot program area increased from 22 percent to 50 percent,” said Linda Hines, Virginia Premier vice president for medical management. “The initiative has been so successful that we have incorporated it as a component of our Health Heartbeats maternal-child wellness program.”
NCQA honored Virginia Premier’s initiative at a September ceremony in San Francisco.
From left: Sheldon M. Retchin, M.D., M.S.P.H., VCU vice president for health sciences and VCU Health System CEO; Linda Hines, Virginia Premier Health Plan vice president for medical management; Jamie McPherson, Virginia Premier vice president of quality accreditation; Eugene P. Trani, Ph.D., VCU president and president and chair of VCU Health System; and Carl Gattuso, VCU Health System chief operating officer and senior vice president.
