NCQA Awards Quality Plus Distinction to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota for Physician and Hospital Qualit...( EAGAN Minn. April 3 2008 /- The N...),Health

EAGAN, Minn., April 3, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA) has awarded Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota with a Quality Plus Distinction for Physician and Hospital Quality. The program awards health plans that are market leaders for measuring the quality and cost of care provided to members by hospitals and clinics. NCQA is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to measuring the quality of America's health care.

"The definition of what constitutes an exceptional health plan is very different today than it was even a few years ago," said Marc Manley, M.D., vice president and medical director population health. "This achievement establishes Blue Cross as a leader in helping members understand their benefits so they can identify quality hospitals and the best doctors to help them make informed decisions about their health care options."

NCQA's Quality Plus Distinction acknowledges Blue Cross' efforts in working collaboratively with physicians and hospitals, who receive frequent performance feedback from Blue Cross that aids them in improving, Manley added. The Physician and Hospital Quality standards are focused on the following components:

-- Standardized, reliable measures of quality and cost.

-- Transparency of standardized quality measures and cost information,

which must be disclosed to providers being measured and made available

to the public.

-- Collaborative initiatives among and between providers motivated by the

establishment of industry-wide standards.

-- Quality improvement and greater health care affordability as a result

of standardized and comprehensive measurement and reporting programs.

Blue Cross exceeded these standards with its involvement in Minnesota Community Measurement, a nonprofit organization that annually reports quality information about health care providers in collaboration with Minnes
'/>"/>