Aetna Behavioral Health Receives Full Three-Year MBHO Accreditation for Quality from NCQA.-- Aetna Demonstrates Commitment to Providing Quality Care and Customer Service to Its Members -- HARTFORD, Conn. -- Aetna (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :AET AET Aetna, Inc. AET After Extra Time AET Actual Evapotranspiration AET Alliance for Environmental Technology AET Alpha-Ethyltryptamine AET Applied Extrusion Technologies, Inc. ) today announced that its Behavioral Health Behavioral health was first used in the 1980's to name the combination of the fields mental health and substance abuse. As an example, an organization serving both mental health and substance abuse clients might refer to its practice as behavioral health or program has received the highest possible rating a managed behavioral health organization can receive from the nation's leading provider of independent quality assessments. Aetna received a 'Full' Managed Behavioral Health Organization (MBHO MBHO Managed Behavioral Healthcare Organization ) Accreditation rating from the National Committee for Quality Assurance National Committee for Quality Assurance Medical practice A private, not-for-profit organization which has become the leading accreditor of managed care plans; in site visits, NCQA reviewers evaluate a managed care plan in terms of quality management, physicians' (NCQA NCQA National Committee on Quality Assurance, see there ). The accreditation applies to the nearly 13 million Aetna members enrolled in behavioral health programs throughout the country. "In order to earn Full Accreditation, a behavioral health organization must work hard to coordinate care, ensure access and provide strong support for its members," said Margaret E. O'Kane, NCQA President. "The Full Accreditation seal is a sign that an MBHO is committed to the highest standards of service and care." NCQA Accreditation is a nationally recognized evaluation that purchasers, regulators, and consumers can use to assess MBHOs. It evaluates how well a health plan manages all parts of its delivery system -- physicians, hospitals, other providers and administrative services -- in order to continuously improve health care for its members. "Our plan sponsor customers expect a quality product when they purchase from Aetna, and we are pleased that this independent evaluation from NCQA provides them with evidence that we are meeting those expectations. We are pleased to receive recognition from NCQA," said Louise Murphy, head of Aetna Behavioral Health. "NCQA is the most independent, reliable measure of excellence available in the healthcare industry. Receiving this rating from such a prestigious organization demonstrates Aetna Behavioral Health's dedication to quality." The NCQA evaluated Aetna's two Behavioral Health program offices in Sandy, Utah Sandy (also known as Sandy City) is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah and a suburb of Salt Lake City. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 88,418. A 2006 estimate placed its population at 94,203, making it the fifth-largest city in Utah. and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania For Kings of Prussia, see List of rulers of Prussia King of Prussia is an unincorporated community in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was 18,511. . The accreditation is a voluntary review process which includes rigorous on-site and off-site evaluations conducted by a team of physicians and managed care experts. A national oversight committee of physicians and behavioral health providers analyzes the team's findings and assigns an accreditation level based on the MBHO's performance compared to NCQA standards. NCQA's demanding accreditation standards are developed with input from employers, managed care organizations, state and federal regulators, consumer groups, MBHOs and members of the public. Aetna embraces a commitment to quality, as evidenced by the importance placed on achieving NCQA Accreditation. Nationally, all 21 Aetna commercial plans surveyed by NCQA have met its rigorous standards. To date, the following Aetna HMO HMO health maintenance organization. HMO n. A corporation that is financed by insurance premiums and has member physicians and professional staff who provide curative and preventive medicine within certain financial, plans have been awarded an NCQA Accreditation Status of Commendable or better, or New Health Plan Accreditation Status: * Aetna Health Inc. (Arizona, Nevada) * Aetna Health of California, Inc. * Aetna Health of the Carolinas Inc. (N. Carolina, S. Carolina) * Aetna Health Inc. (Colorado) * Aetna Health Inc.(Connecticut) * Aetna Health Inc. (Delaware) * Aetna Health Inc. (Florida) * Aetna Health Inc. (Georgia) * Aetna Health of Illinois, Inc. * Aetna Health Inc. (Missouri, Kansas) * Aetna Health Inc. (Maine) * Aetna Health Inc. (Maryland, D.C.,Virginia) * Aetna Health Inc. (Massachusetts) * Aetna Health Inc. (Northern New Jersey) * Aetna Health Inc. (Southern New Jersey) * Aetna Health Inc. (New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of ) * Aetna Health Inc. (Ohio) * Aetna Health Inc. (Oklahoma) * Aetna Health Inc. (Pennsylvania) * Aetna Health Inc. (Tennessee) * Aetna Health Inc. (Texas, Oklahoma) About NCQA NCQA is a private, non-profit organization A non-profit organization (abbreviated "NPO", also "non-profit" or "not-for-profit") is a legally constituted organization whose primary objective is to support or to actively engage in activities of public or private interest without any commercial or monetary profit purposes. dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes physicians in key clinical areas. NCQA's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS HEDIS Health Plan Employer Data & Information Set Managed care An initiative by the National Committee on Quality Assurance to develop, collect, standardize, and report measures of health plan performances. ) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web, media and data licensing agreements in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices. For more information, visit www.ncqa.org. About Aetna Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.4 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups employer group Association of employers Managed care An entity with a current group benefits agreement in effect with a health plan to provide covered health care services to its employee-subscribers and eligible dependents. , individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, government-sponsored plans and expatriates. www.aetna.com |
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