Fallon Community Health Plan achieves quality distinction

Distinction recognizes physician and hospital quality

Worcester, Mass., September 13, 2007―Fallon Community Health Plan (FCHP), a nationally-recognized health care services organization, announced today that it has achieved Quality Plus Distinction for Physician and Hospital Quality from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Physician and Hospital Quality recognizes innovative organizations that lead the market in areas such as leveraging the Web to promote members’ self-management of chronic conditions, adopting innovative disease management programs, managing members with chronic conditions and complex illnesses, using standardized physician measures to improve quality and affordability of care, and using all payor data on hospitals to provide members with information.

FCHP maintains “Excellent” accreditation status from NCQA for its HMO/POS, Medicaid and Medicare Advantage products. Quality Plus is a voluntary program which includes new measures and accreditation that health plans can adopt early and achieve recognition by NCQA.

“We are pleased to earn NCQA’s Quality Plus distinction,” said Dennis A. Batey, M.D., Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, FCHP. “This distinction speaks volumes for FCHP’s commitment to bringing exclusive health education and decision tools to our members.”

FCHP achieved Physician and Hospital Quality distinction by providing its members with transparency tools on hospital quality ratings and costs on the FCHP Web site, www.fchp.org. The health plans also provide quality information about physicians as a participant in the Massachusetts Health Quality Partners project that provides public rates on clinical measurements for physician practice sites in Massachusetts.

“Fallon Community Health Plan is to be commended for meeting our new Physician and Hospital Quality standards,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “By adopting these standards, FCHP is providing members with important information about physicians and hospitals within their network, allowing them to make better health care decisions for themselves and their families.”

Lauren M. DiBenedetto
lauren.dibenedetto@fchp.org

About FCHP
Founded in 1977, Fallon Community Health Plan provides health care services designed to meet the unique and changing needs of all we serve. FCHP is the only health plan in Massachusetts that is both an insurer and provider of care. Our insurance and self-insurance product portfolio includes a variety of group and non-group health plan options (HMO, POS, PPO, as well as Medicaid and Medicare Advantage plans) featuring flexible and innovative benefit designs. Our uniquely developed provider networks offer high-quality, cost-effective, coordinated care and give our members access to physicians and hospitals throughout Massachusetts. We also offer a broad spectrum of health and wellness services and programs to ensure our members, at every stage of life, remain as healthy and productive as possible. As a provider of care, FCHP operates an advanced and completely integrated program that offers seniors and their caregivers an alternative to nursing home care. Our continued commitment to deliver high-quality health care and exceptional customer service has earned FCHP consistent ratings as one of the nation's top health plans. Both our commercial HMO and Medicare Advantage plans have been awarded "Excellent" accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.