PLANTATION, FL, March 14, 2002 — (NYSE: ΑET) The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has awarded Aetna U.S. Healthcare of Florida's commercial HMO and Point-of-Service (POS) plans its highest accreditation status of "Excellent." The "Excellent" level of distinction has been earned by only 54 percent of commercial health plans that have received NCQA accreditation as of January 31, 2002.
"This accreditation acknowledges Aetna's efforts to work closely with our participating physicians and hospitals to help our members live healthier, more productive lives," said Mark LaBorde, general manager for Aetna in Florida. "The results also validate our commitment to raising the bar on quality of care and setting new standards in service."
To earn NCQA's Excellent designation, health plans must meet several discriminating criteria. Surveys include rigorous on-site and off-site evaluations of over 60 standards and selected HEDIS( performance measures. Survey results are publicly reported and organized into the following categories: Access and Service; Qualified Providers; Staying Healthy; Getting Better; and Living with Illness.
"It is rewarding to know that after a thorough review of Aetna's Florida markets, the industry's leading accrediting organization has recognized our ongoing dedication to disease management and prevention programs and the overall health of our members," said Mary T. McCluskey, MD, senior medical director for Aetna in Florida.
NCQA is the national organization established to review the quality and medical management systems of HMOs and other managed care plans. Accreditation by NCQA is a nationally recognized standard. The NCQA process evaluates how well a health plan manages all aspects of its medical delivery system and the extent to which it continuously improves health care for its members, in addition to its relationships with medical providers. There is no comparable independent standard for evaluating fee-for-service and other types of health plans.
Aetna provides health coverage to approximately 1,279,000 members in Florida. Aetna is one of the nation's leading providers of health care and related group benefits, serving 15.6 million health care members, 12.4 million dental members and 11.5 million group insurance customers, as of January 1, 2002. Information about Aetna is available at www.aetna.com.
HEDIS® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
