EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., Dec. 13, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CIGNA Behavioral Health’s (CBH’s) National Care Center (NCC) in Eden Prairie, MN, has earned the much-prized three-year, Full Accreditation for Managed Behavioral Health Organizations from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The new accreditation is effective from November 8, 2004 through 2007, covering CBH’s commercial managed behavioral health products.
CBH’s National Care Center, staffed by personal advocates, behavioral care experts and other professionals, serves over 12 million members and 900-plus corporations or Taft-Hartley Trusts throughout the United States and the District of Columbia.
Full Accreditation is granted for a period of three years to those plans that have excellent programs for continuous quality improvement and meet NCQA’s rigorous standards. NCQA Accreditation standards are intended to help organizations achieve the highest level of performance possible, reduce patient risk for untoward outcomes, and create an environment of continuous improvement.
The National Care Center’s achievement of receiving the highest outcome possible in its review is a testament to its dedication to quality care. The results of the survey highlighted several areas of service excellence, including thoughtful and meaningful quality improvement activities. Most notable were efforts in improving appointment access times for members, reducing hospital readmissions for those with mental illness, and improving practitioner satisfaction. The results received were the highest possible outcomes.
“CBH’s accreditation is proof that it is an organization which works hard to coordinate care, ensure access and provide good customer support for members,” said Margaret E. O’Kane, NCQA President. “It’s a sign that CBH is focused on improving the behavioral health of its members.”
“The exceptional results of this survey match that of our first survey in the Chesapeake Care Center, demonstrating consistently high performance throughout our care management system,” said Dr. Rhonda Robinson-Beale, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. “Given that most of our Taft- Hartley and employer-based business is served through our National Care Center, our corporate customers can be confident that their employees and dependants are receiving quality care.”
CBH’s Chesapeake Regional Care Center in Lutherville, Maryland also earned three-year, full accreditation status in January 2003. The Chesapeake care center serves nearly 1.3 million HMO and POS members from several health plans located in ten eastern U.S. states -- Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia.
“Our mission is to provide compassionate and innovative services, and unparalleled clinical expertise to our customers, members and business associates,” Dr. Keith Dixon, President of CBH, states. “Our commitment to NCQA accreditation is a testament of our dedication to providing exceptional, integrated behavioral health solutions.”
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (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 and manages the evolution of HEDIS, the tool the nation’s health plans use to measure and report on their performance. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web, media and data licensing agreements in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices. For more information, visit http://www.ncqa.org/.
CIGNA Behavioral Health (CBH), Inc., a subsidiary of CIGNA , provides behavioral care benefit management, EAPs, and work / life programs to nearly 17 million consumers through health plans offered by large U.S. employers, national and regional HMOs, Taft-Hartley trusts and disability insurers. CBH, with headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, operates five care management centers in the U.S. in support of a national network of more than 52,000 independent psychiatrists, psychologists and clinical social workers and more than 4,300 facilities and clinics. For more information, visit http://www.cignabehavioral.com/.
CIGNA Behavioral Health
Contact: Arlys Stadum of CIGNA Behavioral Health, +1-763-559-5587,Arlys.stadum@cigna.com
Web site: http://www.ncqa.org/
Web site: http://www.cignabehavioral.com/
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