UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Wisconsin was awarded Health Equity Accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).
NCQA is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to assessing and reporting on the quality of managed care plans, managed behavioral health care organizations, preferred provider organizations, new health plans, physician organizations, credentials verification organizations, disease management programs and other health-related programs.
Health Equity Accreditation is awarded based on an organization’s focus on the foundation of health equity work:
- Building an internal culture that supports the organization’s external health equity work.
- Collecting data that helps the organization create and offer language services and provider networks mindful of individuals’ cultural and linguistic needs.
- Identifying opportunities to reduce health inequities and improve care.
“Ensuring every individual in Wisconsin has access to high-quality care is at the core of our mission,” said Kevin Moore, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Wisconsin. “We are honored to receive this accreditation from NCQA in recognition of our commitment to reduce disparities and improve health outcomes in the communities we serve.”
Health Equity Accreditation is a nationally recognized accreditation for purchasers, regulators and consumers to use to distinguish themselves after meeting rigorous standards in serving a diverse population.
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Wisconsin is focused on addressing disparities and equity for populations across the state through strong relationships and targeted investments with both federally qualified health centers and community-based partners. These efforts and investments include:
- Providing scholarships for Milwaukee Area Technical College students pursuing health care careers.
- Supporting increased access to care for Black men in Dane County through partnerships with local barbershops.
- Partnering with the Muslim Community Health Center to improve health literacy and identify social determinants of health and health care gaps for refugee populations.
- Expanding the use of doulas for Black mothers in the Milwaukee area.
Since 2018, UnitedHealthcare has invested more than $20 million to create more than 240 affordable housing developments in Wisconsin to address social determinants of health and improve health outcomes in vulnerable communities. UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Wisconsin has also implemented a number of benefits and programs for eligible members that address barriers to care, including transportation and language services.
“To meet the current and pressing issues that are creating disparities in Wisconsin, we modernized our health plan through an enhanced engagement in population health,” said Trisha Houghton, director of Population Health and Quality Improvement, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Wisconsin. “Our NCQA Health Equity Accreditation, coupled with the work of our health equity consultant and housing navigator, provides new resources and connections to identify and address barriers and lead to improved health outcomes for our members and the communities we serve.”
For more information about the NCQA Health Equity Accreditation, visit www.ncqa.org.
About NCQA
NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA’s website (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more-informed health care choices. NCQA can be found online at ncqa.org, on Twitter @ncqa, on Facebook at facebook.com/NCQA.org/ and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/ncqa.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. In the United States, UnitedHealthcare offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 1.5 million physicians and care professionals, and more than 6,700 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. The company also provides health benefits and delivers care to people through owned and operated health care facilities in South America. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @UHC on Twitter.
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