INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Medicaid health plan in Indiana recently earned the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Health Equity Accreditation Plus, a recognition of Anthem’s leadership in developing solutions to enhance access to equitable, high-quality healthcare. It further underscores Anthem’s commitment to eliminating health disparities in underserved communities to improve health outcomes and reduce overall treatment costs.
“NCQA’s Health Equity Accreditation Plus recognizes our unwavering dedication to eliminating health disparities and helping ensure access to high-quality care for everyone,” said Dr. Kimberly Roop, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Medicaid President in Indiana. “This milestone positions Anthem at the forefront of advancing health equity through our innovative programs that provide access to individualized care to improve the whole health of our members.”
NCQA Health Equity Accreditation Plus builds upon the Health Equity Accreditation designation Anthem received last year, when they were recognized among the first Medicaid plans in the nation to create a strategic framework that prioritizes health equity based on race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
The new Health Equity Accreditation Plus goes a step further by acknowledging Anthem’s data-driven approach to help identify and collect information on individuals’ social needs. This data enables Anthem to develop personalized services and supports to combat health inequities, leveraging partnerships with community-based organizations (CBOs) to help improve the health outcomes of individuals.
Anthem is advancing its health equity mission through various innovative programs including:
- A dedicated team of associates who are experts in health-related social needs including employment, education, housing, food, and transportation that help members navigate barriers to improved health by collaborating with CBOs.
- The Social Determinants of Health Case Management program which provides interventions that address the social needs and risks of members tailored to their unique needs and circumstances.
- Community health workers who identify and engage key members impacted by physical and behavioral health conditions given their geography, demographics, race, or ethnicity to address their ongoing health needs through a personalized whole health approach.
“Racial and ethnic disparities have hindered quality healthcare progression for many Americans,” said Margaret E. O’Kane, NCQA President. “Organizations earning the Health Equity Accreditation Plus like Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana are leading the way in bridging this gap, and NCQA salutes their commitment.”
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.
ABOUT ANTHEM BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD’S MEDICAID HEALTH PLAN IN INDIANA
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield works with the state of Indiana to offer the Hoosier Healthwise (HHW), Hoosier Care Connect (HCC) and Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) health insurance programs for 750,000 Medicaid beneficiaries. HHW is a health care program for children up to age 19 and pregnant women that covers medical care like doctor visits, prescription medicine, mental health care, dental care, hospitalizations, and surgeries. HCC offers individuals who are aged 65 years and older, blind, or disabled and who are also not eligible for Medicare health plans that provide the most appropriate care based upon individualized needs. HIP covers residents age 19 through 64 including low-income families. Anthem has administered benefits and services for HHW since 2007, HCC since 2015 and HIP since 2008. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Anthem Health Plans, Inc. Independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Anthem is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. Additional information about Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana is available at www.anthem.com. Also, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/anthemBCBS and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AnthemBlueCrossBlueShield.
