NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wellpoint Tennessee, formerly Amerigroup, recently earned the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Health Equity Accreditation Plus, a recognition of Wellpoint’s leadership in developing solutions to enhance access to equitable, high-quality healthcare. It further underscores Wellpoint’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 Natalie Cooper, Wellpoint Tennessee President. “This milestone positions Wellpoint 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 Wellpoint received last year, when they were recognized among the first Medicaid plans in the nation to create a strategic framework that prioritizes health equity.
The new Health Equity Accreditation Plus goes a step further by acknowledging Wellpoint’s data-driven approach to help identify and collect information on individuals’ social needs. This data enables Wellpoint 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.
Wellpoint is advancing its health equity mission through various innovative programs including:
- A dedicated team of associates focused on health equity and whole person care to help members navigate barriers to improved health outcomes through a personalized approach.
- Collaboration connections between health care providers and CBOs to ensure culturally relevant care and support services for members to reduce healthcare disparities through education, training and interventions that address health-related social needs.
- Health equity associate networks across the state who identify and engage key members impacted by physical and behavioral health conditions given their geography, demographics, race, or ethnicity to address their ongoing social needs including employment, education, housing, food, and transportation tailored to their unique needs and circumstances.
“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 Wellpoint 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 WELLPOINT
Wellpoint, part of the Elevance Health family of brands, focuses on improving physical health as well as the behavioral and social drivers that impact it through a comprehensive suite of Medicare, Medicaid, and Commercial products. The Wellpoint companies offer healthcare services for consumers at any stage of life seeking to make the right care decisions and helps individuals and communities make real, positive progress with health plans that foster independence, confidence, and whole-person health. For more information, please visit www.wellpoint.com.
