Saint Mary’s HealthFirst HMO/POS has been recognized as the No. 1 plan in Nevada—and was nationally ranked 279th—in the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Private Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2012-13. NCQA evaluated more than 538 private health plans, and of those, 474 were ranked.
“We are always working to improve customer satisfaction and improve preventive services offered to our members. We are honored to see our HealthFirst HMO/POS plan recognized for these efforts,” said Don Kowitz, president and CEO of Saint Mary’s Health Plans.
Plans are given an overall score of 1 to 100 based on dozens of criteria, including consumer satisfaction, prevention, treatment and NCQA accreditation. Saint Mary’s HealthFirst HMO/POS earned an overall score of 81.4, up from 78.6 in 2011-12. The plan scored highest in prevention and treatment, specifically with women’s reproductive health, cancer screenings, heart disease and selected diabetes measures. Collectively, these efforts helped improve Saint Mary’s HealthFirst HMO/POS plan’s national ranking by 12 points, from 291st in 2011-12 to 279th in 2012-13.
Consumer satisfaction measures patient feedback about their care, including access and customer service. Prevention looks at how many members received preventive services such as prenatal and post-partum care, cancer screenings, immunizations and well-check visits for kids. Treatment measures how many members received the recommended care for their conditions. Accreditation is an independent review of how well a plan works with doctors and patients to provide high-quality care and provide important consumer protections. A plan can earn up to 15 points for being accredited, while non-accredited plans receive zero points in that category.
