CIGNA HealthCare PPO Plans Nationwide Earn Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance
BLOOMFIELD, Conn.--(Business Wire)--CIGNA HealthCare has earned full accreditation for its PPO plans
nationwide from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
The "Full" accreditation - currently NCQA's highest accreditation
rating for a PPO - underscores the quality of CIGNA HealthCare's
benefits plans.
As health care delivery in the United States becomes more
consumer-focused, health plan members and employers alike are seeking
information that helps them compare the performance of health plans.
While this comparative information is increasingly available for
health maintenance organization (HMO)-type plans, information on the
performance of preferred provider organization (PPO)-type plans has
lagged behind. To help close this information gap and be responsive to
the needs of health care consumers, CIGNA voluntarily sought
accreditation for its PPO and Open Access Plus plans from the National
Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
"We are delighted that CIGNA HealthCare has demonstrated its
commitment to quality by obtaining NCQA accreditation for its PPO and
Open Access Plus plans," said Margaret E. O'Kane, president of NCQA.
"NCQA accreditation is powerful evidence that CIGNA is committed
to improving the health and well-being of all of our members,
regardless of which type of health benefits plan they have," said Jeff
Kang, M.D., CIGNA's chief medical officer. "In addition to this
accreditation for our PPO plans, the 23 CIGNA HMO and point of service
(POS) plans that have undergone NCQA review have also received the
highest accreditation rating available. We're pleased to now have the
NCQA's 'quality seal of approval' for health plans that serve the
majority of CIGNA members."
CIGNA's national accreditation is based on an in-depth review of
its PPO and Open Access Plus plans. The review included both off-site
and on-site examinations of CIGNA's adherence to NCQA standards
related to quality improvement, utilization management, appeals,
credentialing and re-credentialing, enrollees' rights and
responsibilities, member connections and delegation oversight
processes.
The recent national accreditation is the latest step in CIGNA's
effort to expand quality measurement to PPO plans. In 2004, CIGNA
stepped forward to become the first national health care plan to
voluntarily commit to measuring and reporting to NCQA on indicators of
health care quality for its PPO-type plans, which are also the plans
that serve CIGNA's consumer-driven health plan members. CIGNA has
provided this information to NCQA for quality benchmarking purposes
for the past two years.
A recent study(1) shows that the percentage of Americans enrolled
in HMOs, point of service and traditional health plans has declined
steadily since 1999, while the percentage of Americans enrolled in PPO
plans steadily increased. After 2001, PPO enrollment in America
overtook enrollment in the other types of plans and now accounts for
nearly two-thirds of health plan members.
CIGNA HealthCare, based in Bloomfield, Conn., provides medical
benefits plans, dental coverage, behavioral health coverage, pharmacy
benefits and products and services that integrate and analyze
information to support consumerism and health advocacy. "CIGNA
HealthCare" and the "Tree of Life" logo are registered service marks
of CIGNA Intellectual Property, Inc., licensed for use by CIGNA
Corporation (NYSE:CI) and its operating subsidiaries, including
Connecticut General Life Insurance Company. All products and services
are provided exclusively by such operating subsidiaries, and not by
CIGNA Corporation. For more information, visit www.cigna.com.
(1) Kaiser Family Foundation/HRET Employer Health Benefits Survey,
2006, as cited in NCQA's "The State of Health Care Quality 2006."
CIGNA HealthCare
Mark Slitt, 860-226-2092
mark.slitt@cigna.com
Copyright Business Wire 2008
