Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont receives highest NCQA accreditations

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont was awarded the highest level of accreditation for its managed care and preferred provider organization product lines from a national quality review organization. According to the company, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont received an excellent rating for its Vermont Health Partnership and The Vermont Health Plan managed care benefits, and also for its Freedom Plan PPO benefit plans.
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is an nonprofit organization that assesses the quality of managed care plans, managed behavioral healthcare organizations, preferred provider organizations, and other health related programs. To receive the top level of accreditation from the NCQA, healthcare organizations must first meet or exceed requirements for consumer protection and quality improvement results that are in the highest national range.
Accredication status is based upon a voluntary review the quality of care offered by a specific health plan. The accreditation survey process involves on and off-site evaluations of over 60 standards and selected HEDIS performance measures by a group of physicians and managed care experts. The experts consider the health plan's physicians, hospitals, affiliated providers, and administrative services in their report. When the evaluation is completed, the survey results are then analyzed by a committee of physicians who assign an accreditation based on the NCQA's standards.