M-CARE: It's Award-Winning
M-CARE, the University of Michigan Health System's managed
care organization, one of a few in the nation owned by an academic
institution, recently has received several awards for its excellence
in the delivery of health care. M-CARE's high praise came from:
The National Committee for Quality Assurance
M-CARE received a "commendable" accreditation rating
from the Committee, an independent organization which evaluates
how a health plan manages all parts of its delivery system in
order to continuously improve health care for its members. M-CARE
was one of five commercial, Medicare or Medicaid HMOs in Michigan
to receive a "commendable" rating. "The accreditation
demonstrates in a measurable way M-CARE's commitment to clinical
and service quality," says Robert Church, D.O., M-CARE's
medical director. "Coupled with our very positive HEDIS
scores, the accreditation shows that M-CARE is providing the
health care people need with the quality and service they expect."
(HEDIS, which stands for Health Employer Data and Information
Set, is the nation's premier measurement tool for managed care.)
Zelda Geyer-Sylvia |
The National Committee for Quality Assurance also selected
M-CARE for inclusion in a new book the Committee produced with
support from Pfizer, Inc. Entitled Quality Profiles: In Pursuit
of Excellence in Managed Care, the publication is a compendium
of case studies to showcase outstanding quality improvement
efforts. M-CARE was one of 38 health plans chosen from NCQA-accredited
plans nationwide and the only plan in Michigan to be highlighted.
"M-CARE's inclusion in Quality Profiles is a true mark
of distinction," says Zelda Geyer-Sylvia, executive director
of M-CARE. "Everyone in the M-CARE organization is committed
to providing the highest quality care that we can, and being
chosen for Quality Profiles is recognition of our ongoing efforts."
HealthGrades.com
M-CARE received 76 points out of 100, the highest score in Michigan,
from HealthGrades.com, an Internet-based firm providing information
to consumers to help them select providers of health care. The
firm used HEDIS data to grade nearly 250 HMOs from 39 major
metropolitan areas in the U.S. M-CARE met or exceeded the national
average in all categories evaluated by HealthGrades.com.
Greater Detroit Area Health Council's 1999-2000 Consumer
Guide to HMOs
The Council, a non-profit coalition of more than 100 organizations,
used a five-star rating system to rate 16 HMOs in a number of
categories. M-CARE was the only plan in Michigan to receive
any five-star ratings, which they received in the "Staying
Healthy" category.
M-CARE has more than 180,000 members and contracts with more
than 2,000 employer groups. With field offices in Flint and
Southfield, M-CARE has more than 5,000 physicians and over 40
hospitals in its 19-county commercial provider network, and
over 3,000 physicians and 42 hospitals and health centers in
its six-county Medicare network. M-CARE offers HMO and Point
of Service as well as Medicaid and Medicare plans.
For more information about M-CARE, visit their Web site at www.mcare.org/.
 
|
