FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 29, 2010

Medford, Mass. — Network Health, Inc., a Massachusetts health plan that provides access to high-quality health care for nearly 170,000 members with low and moderate incomes, announced today that it received eight “Best in Class” rankings from the 2010 Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey.

The CAHPS program develops and supports using a comprehensive and evolving set of standardized surveys that ask consumers to report on and evaluate their health care experiences. Consumer rankings of Network Health were compared to other Medicaid Managed Care Organizations in the New England HEDIS  Coalition (NEHC) and against 137 Medicaid plans nationwide that submitted data in 2010 to the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

“Network Health is honored to receive eight “Best in Class” Medicaid health plan rankings from consumers,” said Christina Severin, Network Health president. “The CAHPS survey is a well-respected measure of consumer experience and satisfaction. It is extremely rewarding and humbling to receive these accolades from our members, based on their health care experience with our programs and services.”

Nationally, Network Health is ranked first among all reporting Medicaid health plans in advising smokers and tobacco users to quit, and third among all reporting Medicaid health plans in overall health plan rating and in written materials/Internet-based information.

Among the NEHC Medicaid plans that participated in the survey, Network Health ranked “Best in Class” in overall health plan rating; getting care needed; getting care, tests, and treatments necessary; getting help/information from customer service; written materials and Internet-based information; advising smokers and tobacco users to quit; and discussing smoking-cessation strategies. Additionally, Network Health ranked first among Massachusetts Medicaid health plans in overall health plan rating and in written materials/Internet-based information.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, now a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, developed CAHPS in 1995 in response to concerns that health plans did not get information from consumers about their overall health care experience.


About Network Health
Network Health provides access to high-quality health care to Massachusetts residents with low and moderate incomes. Based in Medford, Mass., Network Health is a wholly owned, nonprofit, comprehensive health plan that Cambridge Health Alliance, a nationally recognized, integrated health care system, created in 1997. Network Health serves members through its Network Health Together^® (MassHealth) and Network Health Forward^® (Commonwealth Care) plans.

Network Health provides Network Health Together members all the benefits of MassHealth, plus free EXTRAS. Network Health’s Commonwealth Care plan extends access to affordable health care for qualified Massachusetts residents 19 years old or older who earn at or below 300% of the federal poverty level, or up to $32,496 a year for an individual (up to $66,156 a year for a family of four). In addition to core health care benefits, Network Health offers Network Health Forward members free EXTRAS designed to encourage wellness.

To improve the health and well-being of its members and their diverse communities,
Network Health offers fully integrated, in-house care management, providing a team of medical, behavioral health, social care, and pharmacy professionals who coordinate member care, and partners with 20,000 primary care providers, specialists, hospitals, and community organizations.

Network Health earned National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA) “Excellent” Health Plan Accreditation, NCQA’s highest accreditation rating, for its Network Health Together plan. Network Health is ranked fifth among all Medicaid health plans nationally, according to NCQA’s 2010 – 2011 Health Insurance Plan Rankings – Medicaid. Additionally, Network Health is nationally recognized for its innovative programs and received a Case In Point Platinum Award for “Best Overall Case/Care Management Program” from Dorland Health. Network Health also has the Top Leadership Team among health plans nationally, according to HealthLeaders Media.

Individuals must be eligible for MassHealth to join Network Health Together, a MassHealth plan. To learn about MassHealth eligibility, Massachusetts residents can call the MassHealth Enrollment Center at 888-665-9993 (TTY: 888-665-9997), Monday through Friday, from
8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. Once enrolled, MassHealth members can learn about their MassHealth health plan options by calling MassHealth customer service at 800-841-2900 (TTY: 800-497-4648), Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To learn about Commonwealth Care health plan options, Massachusetts residents can call Commonwealth Care customer service at 877-MA-ENROLL or 877-623-6765 (TTY: 877-623-7773), Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or they can visit www.mahealthconnector.org.

About Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems
The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) program develops and supports the use of a comprehensive and evolving family of standardized surveys that ask consumers and patients to report on and evaluate their experiences with health care. These surveys cover topics that are important to consumers, such as the communication skills of providers and the accessibility of services. CAHPS originally stood for the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Study, but as the products have evolved beyond health plans, the name has evolved as well to capture the full range of survey products and tools.