Ohio Association of Health Plans Names 'Pinnacle' Awards to Programs That Improve Health Care f...( COLUMBUS Ohio May 27 /- The Ohio ...),Health

COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ohio Association of Health Plans (OAHP) is pleased to announce the 2008 winners of its annual Pinnacle Awards, which recognize the efforts of Ohio's health plans to improve the quality of health care for Ohioans.

"Health plans are a vital partner in Ohio's health care system," said Kelly McGivern, OAHP President and CEO. "Not only are these companies the source of a more than 51,000 insurance-related jobs for Ohioans and more than $2 billion in wages, they also create and implement innovative initiatives to improve the health of Ohioans and the efficiency of providing health care benefits. Unfortunately, these important contributions continue to go unrecognized by those outside of the health plan industry, so the Pinnacle Awards are one way we help highlight the important contributions these plans are making."

This year's winning programs included initiatives that optimized vaccinations to help reduce the severity infections in high risk infants, promoted better coordination of care for Medicaid consumers, established primary care medical services for consumers with behavioral health issues, and increased specific preventative care measures for high-risk pregnant mothers. The winners of the awards were as follows:

Category: Improvements in Business/Operational Performance

Winner: CareSource, RSV Management: Process Improvements & Health

Outcomes

Category: Community Outreach and Partnerships

Winners: AMERIGROUP Community Care, Medical and Behavioral Health

Coordination for Medicaid Consumers

and

Buckeye Community Health Plan, Community Care: A Partnership in

Nurturing

Category: Health Care Programs

Winner: Buckeye Community Health Plan, 17-P

OAHP invited all member plans to participate in the competition, which provided an opportunity for health plans to
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