Wellpoint Receives NCQA Health Equity Accreditation
WOBURN — Wellpoint recently received a full three-year accreditation for health equity from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), receiving a perfect score of 100%. This accreditation recognizes the health plan as a leader in supporting its members with access to high-quality, equitable healthcare. Wellpoint administers benefits for state and municipal employees, retirees, and their families insured through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission.
“NCQA’s health equity accreditation is recognition for the work we have done to identify our members’ social needs and prioritize addressing the root causes that drive poor health outcomes,” said Dr. Carolyn Langer, chief medical officer for Wellpoint. “This rating showcases our efforts to advance whole health and personalize the healthcare experience for those we serve. We’re committed to continually developing products and services that enable our members to access optimal care.”
NCQA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality, evaluates how well an organization creates a strategic framework that prioritizes health equity based on race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, and gender identity. It also evaluates the organization’s effectiveness in collecting data to create and offer language services and provider networks mindful of individuals’ cultural and linguistic needs, and identifying opportunities to reduce health inequities and improve care.
Highlights of Wellpoint’s efforts to address the whole-health needs of its members include launching its health equity community advisory committee to ensure services are accessible and appropriate for all members, considering the diversity of its communities; working to close gaps in colorectal cancer screening rates among eligible Black members through an SMS text campaign reminding them to get their routine colonoscopy and offering assistance from Wellpoint’s clinical team in scheduling an appointment; and producing culturally tailored videos for breast cancer and colorectal cancer screenings specifically targeting Hispanic/Latino and Black members.