MONROEVILLE, Pa., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Unison Health Plan is one of the highest rated plans in the nation according to the U.S. News & World Report/NCQA America's Best Health Plans 2005.
Unison Health Plan is the smallest government-funded health care program in Pennsylvania, based on revenue, yet ranked 16th in the country among Medicaid companies on the list. The NCQA/U.S. News and World Report ranking was based on clinical performance, member satisfaction and NCQA Accreditation, which was determined by Consumer Assessment of Health Plans (CAHPS) and Health plan Employer Date and Information Set (HEDIS) scores.
Unison Health Plan's genuine regard for its members is evident through ongoing phone calls from members expressing their gratitude. One member recently called to thank Unison for continued support and understanding as he went through hip replacement surgery and to celebrate his graduation from walker to walking cane. "I couldn't have gone through this without you guys ..... Now I'm finished with my walker, where can I get my walking cane?"
Marie Hawranko, Unison Director of Quality Improvement said, "We are thrilled to receive recognition for all the hard work and dedication we place on giving members and providers a quality healthcare experience. But the true measure of our success is that our members' health care has improved because they are Unison members."
Unison Health Plan's approach to health care emphasizes helping individuals maintain independence by focusing on prevention, early detection and management of chronic conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, high-risk pregnancy, breast cancer, cervical cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other debilitating diseases and conditions.
CAHPS was designed to capture the experiences of consumers and patients with a range of health care products and services and intended to help people make decisions that support better health care. HEDIS, a measurement tool created by the NCQA, collects data about the quality of care and services provided by health plans. It consists of a set of performance measures that compare how well health plans perform in key areas, including quality of care, access to care and member satisfaction with the health plan and doctors.
The NCQA based its Medicaid ranking on Access to Care and Service, Communication with Doctors, Preventive Care, Living with Illness (Asthma, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Mental and Behavioral Health, etc.) and an Overall Rating which included all of the above, in addition to NCQA accreditation.
About Unison Health Plan
Since 1995, Unison Health Plan's dynamic health care plans have specialized in government sponsored health programs such as Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program, State General Assistance, and Medicare. Unison is partnered with more than 265,000 members and 15,000 providers throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Unison provides high quality, cost effective health care and responsive customer service that empowers our members and providers to work together for better health. For additional information visit http://www.unisonhealthplan.com .
Unison Health PlanCONTACT: Sharon Williams, Vice President of Marketing and BusinessDevelopment, for Unison Health Plan, +1-412-349-4748,sharon.williams@unisonhealthplan.com
Web site: http://www.unisonhealthplan.com/
