CIGNA HealthCare of Northern California earns full, three-year NCQA accreditation.

OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 21, 1996--The nation's leading quality monitoring organization for health plans has awarded its highest level of accreditation to Oakland-based CIGNA HealthCare of Northern California.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), an independent, nonprofit organization that reviews the quality and medical management systems of managed-care organizations, gave the CIGNA plan full three-year accreditation.

``We are very pleased. This is independent confirmation that we operate a top quality health plan that is meeting strict national standards,'' said Jenni Vargas, vice president and general manager of CIGNA HealthCare of Northern California.

Nationally, about 60 percent of all health plans have undergone the NCQA's rigorous review process. Of the plans reviewed to date, only 35 percent have been awarded full three-year accreditation.

Although a number of organizations have issued report cards or listings evaluating health plans, most health-care industry analysts agree that NCQA accreditation is the best external, objective standard for gauging and comparing the quality of HMOs.

In order to win full accreditation, a plan must demonstrate that it has excellent programs for continuous quality improvement and must meet NCQA's standards in the following areas: preventive health services, quality improvement, utilization management, medical records, members' rights and responsibilities and physician credentials.

The NCQA has purposely set its standards high to encourage health plans to continuously enhance their quality. No comparable evaluation exists for fee-for-service health care.

Nationwide, CIGNA HealthCare plans in Cleveland, Columbus, Ohio; Denver; Miami; Phoenix; Richmond, Va.; and Tampa have also earned full, three-year accreditation from NCQA. Fifteen other CIGNA HealthCare regional plans have earned one-year accreditation.

CIGNA HealthCare of Northern California, with headquarters in Oakland, has more than 123,000 members. Its parent company, CIGNA HealthCare Inc. of Hartford, Conn., is one of the largest investor- owned operators of managed-care organizations in the United States. More than 4 million people in 40 states are enrolled in CIGNA HealthCare's HMOs.

CONTACT: CIGNA HealthCare of California

Jim Harris, 818/500-6948