Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island Named #1 Medicaid Health Plan on U.S. News & World Report / NCQA “America’s Best Health Plans 2006” list

Neighborhood is country’s top-rated for Member Satisfaction and Quality of Care

Providence, RI - October 31, 2006 - Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island (Neighborhood) is the #1 Medicaid health plan in America, according to a joint ranking by U.S. News & World Report and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

The November 6, 2006 edition of U.S. News & World Report ranks the nation’s best health plans and determined that Neighborhood leads the country for Medicaid member satisfaction and quality of care.

The U.S. News & World Report/NCQA “America’s Best Health Plans 2006”* list was determined by data drawn from NCQA’s Quality Compass® 2006**, which publicly reports comparative results of more than 112 Medicaid health plans covering more than 9 million Americans. Health plan members throughout the country were surveyed on issues such as access to care and overall satisfaction. NCQA also reviewed health plans’ prevention measures and treatment outcomes to calculate an overall quality score.

“We appreciate this national recognition, especially because much of it is based on feedback from our own members,” said Mark E. Reynolds, CEO of Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island.“Our state can take great pride in the fact that three of the top four ranked Medicaid health plans are from here.Clearly, Rhode Island’s RIte Care model is among the nation’s best and more people should have access to this type of managed care delivery system.”

“We work to connect all our members with a primary care physician in our network of Community Health Centers, hospital practices, and private practitioners,” said Mack Johnston, MD, Neighborhoods Chief Medical Officer. “Our performance, and that of the other RIte Care plans, reflects the dedicated and hard work of those primary care providers in providing both continuity and quality of care.”

This year marks the third time in a row that NCQA has rated Neighborhood as one of the top ten Medicaid health plans in the country for Member Satisfaction and Effectiveness of Care, but the first time the plan has received the top ranking in the country.***.

“Many health plans offer both Medicaid and commercial plans, and have more resources, a bigger product diversity, and deeper pockets,” said Nancy Turnbull, Senior Lecturer, Harvard School of Public Health and a Neighborhood Board Member.“This ranking testifies to the fact that Medicaid-only plans can deliver the same or better quality, and do so cost-effectively.It’s good for patients, and good for taxpayers.”

About Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island - Founded in 1994, Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island (Neighborhood ) is a not-for-profit Health Management Organization that partners Rhode Island’s Community Health Centers and others to improve access to high quality health care in Rhode Island.Neighborhood contracts with the state of Rhode Island to administer the RIte Care program, and has more than 75,000 members.

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* America’s Best Health Plans is a trademark of U.S. News & World Report
**The source for this data is Quality Compass® 2006 and is used with the permission of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Quality Compass is a registered trademark of NCQA. NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality.
*** The source for this data is Quality Compass® 2004 and is used with the permission of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Quality Compass is a registered trademark of NCQA. NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality.

Link to the "honor roll" rankings