What is NCQA?

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that assesses and reports the quality of health plans and a wide range of other health-related programs and organizations. Its mission is to improve the quality of health care.

Following a three-year cycle, NCQA Health Plan Accreditation begins with rigorous off-site evaluation of about 60 standards of performance. NCQA then sends a team of trained health care experts, including physicians, to conduct an on-site survey of the health plan. NCQA uses information from health plan records, CAHPS®* consumer surveys, interviews with plan staff and results of selected HEDIS®** measures to assign the plan’s Accreditation level. NCQA Accreditation standards are purposely set high to encourage health plans to continuously enhance their quality. Each year, the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) is collected and independently audited before submission to NCQA. It consists of more than 200 indicators of health care practices, medical outcomes, and clinical results. Annual Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys are conducted by independent, NCQA-approved research companies.

NCQA Survey Results

Paramount currently holds Excellent Accreditation status from NCQA for the Ohio Commercial HMO (Paramount Health Care) and Medicare (Paramount Elite) and products. The National Committee for Quality Assurance awards its highest Accreditation status of Excellent for service and clinical quality that meet or exceed NCQA’s rigorous requirements for consumer protection and quality improvement. HEDIS and CAHPS results are in the highest range of national performance. Paramount Advantage (our Ohio Medicaid product) has earned Commendable Accreditation status.

Margaret E. O’Kane, President of NCQA, states “Earning Excellent Accreditation reflects a health plan’s ability to work with its members’ physicians to improve the quality of clinical care. It shows that the plan is building the kinds of partnerships that are critical to delivering great care and great service.”

NCQA Report Cards for Paramount Health Care, Paramount Elite and Paramount Advantage may be found at NCQA’s Web site: http://reportcard.ncqa.org.

*CAHPS® is a registered trademark of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
**HEDIS® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).