HEALTH NEW ENGLAND MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN IS SIXTH IN THE NATION TO RECEIVE NCQA HEALTH EQUITY CERTIFICATION
Posted on October 5, 2023
SPRINGFIELD, MA. – (October 3, 2023) – Health New England is just the sixth health plan in the country to earn the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Health Equity Certification for Medicare, and the first in Massachusetts to earn the recognition for both its Medicare and Commercial health plans.
Health New England has received this certification for its Medicaid, Medicare and Commercial plans by demonstrating exceptional efforts in reducing health disparities and addressing the unique needs of diverse populations. To earn NCQA Health Equity Certification, health plans must:
- build an internal culture that supports health equity work.
- collect and assess data to help create and offer culturally humble care, including language services.
- ensure that its provider networks are delivering culturally and linguistically appropriate care to meet individuals’ diverse needs.
- identify and act on opportunities to reduce health inequities and improve care.
“At Health New England, we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to achieve their best possible health. Receiving Health Equity Certification from NCQA underscores our commitment to advancing health equity for our members and the communities we serve,” said Richard Swift, president and CEO of Health New England. “This achievement reflects the hard work and dedication of our entire team, as well as our ongoing collaboration with healthcare providers, community organizations, and members. We are committed to continually improving our efforts to reduce health disparities, eliminate barriers to care, and ensure equitable access to healthcare services for all.”
“The prevalence of racial and ethnic disparities has been a barrier to improving the quality of health care of many Americans for too long,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “Organizations achieving Health Equity Accreditation are leaders in closing this gap, and NCQA commends them for their dedication.”
NCQA Health Equity Certification debuted in late 2021. Massachusetts will require health plans to obtain the certification for their Medicaid (MassHealth) plans by 2025. To ensure equity for all members, Health New England led an organization-wide strategy to achieve the certification for all plans.
“We believe that all customers deserve fair and equitable access to care and services no matter what type of health plan they have,” said Shelly McCombs, MPH, Quality and Accreditation manager for Health New England. “We are not just looking at whether people have physical health problems like diabetes. We are looking at the social determinants of health – the societal factors that affect people’s ability to be well, such as housing, healthy food access, the availability of good jobs and childcare, and more. These are all factors that impact people’s ability to focus on their well-being.”
Such health equity practices have had real-world outcomes. For example, Health New England worked to develop a program through its BeHealthy Partnership Plan with Revitalize Community Development Corporation and Baystate Health. Health New England identified the need to address social determinants of health to help diabetic members access healthy food. Members enrolled in the program receive a cooking appliance of their choice (microwave, slow cooker, or induction cooktop), kitchen supply bag, diet education, and 10 weeks of home-delivered nutritious groceries which are specially curated for people with diabetes by registered dietitians and are delivered to the client’s doorstep. The groceries are culturally tailored and feature foods that promote a carbohydrate controlled therapeutic diet.
Being a regional health system-owned health plan, Health New England is nimble, connected to providers, and is driven to make a difference. There has been an organization-wide commitment to health equity, McCombs said. Health New England continues to work with the health care practitioners in its network, community organizations, and other stakeholders to provide culturally humble care and to identify health inequities and to bridge gaps.
NCQA Health Equity certification has helped Health New England earn a 4-star overall health plan rating from NCQA for Commercial and Medicaid plans.
About Health New England
Based in Springfield, Massachusetts, Health New England is a not-for-profit health plan serving members in Massachusetts and Connecticut. A wholly owned subsidiary of Baystate Health, Health New England offers a range of health care plans in the commercial, Medicaid and Medicare markets. For more information, visit healthnewengland.org.
About NCQA
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 (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more-informed health care choices. NCQA can be found online at ncqa.org, on Twitter @ncqa, on Facebook at facebook.com/NCQA.org/ and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/ncqa.
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