NEW NCQA CERTIFICATION PROGRAM ASSESSES
HEALTH INFORMATION PRODUCTS

Seven leading health information organizations among first to come forward

WASHINGTON—Organizations providing specialized health care information services can now earn certification from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for a range of services they provide. The new Health Information Products (HIP) certification program assesses functions ranging from the provision of interactive consumer health tools to reporting on the performance of physicians and hospitals. Seven leading health information companies—including HealthGrades, Healthways, Healthwise, OptumHealth, vielife, and WorldDoc, Inc.—have agreed to come forward for evaluation under the standards of the new program.

The standards of the HIP Certification program are standards on which NCQA assesses health plans through Accreditation for HMOs and PPOs and through the voluntary Physician and Hospital Quality program for accredited HMOs and PPOs. These standards reflect the growing emphasis on improving member access to health care information, early identification and outreach to members at risk for illness and standardized measurement of the quality and cost of care provided by network hospitals and physicians. Many health care organizations provide services to health plans that support the activities assessed by the NCQA standards.

“It often makes sense to contract with a company with a history of experience in gathering and disseminating health care information rather than starting such an operation from scratch,” said Phyllis Torda, NCQA Vice President for Product Development. “Employers and consumers see the activities for which these expert organizations can be certified as among the most important ways health plans relate to their members. I look forward to others following the lead of today’s early adopters.”

HIP Certification represents an opportunity for these organizations to demonstrate that their services meet NCQA’s tough standards. It also represents a streamlined review for health plans that contract with such organizations: they will be considered to have met related standards for NCQA Health Plan Accreditation or Quality Plus Distinction. Organizations can earn HIP Certification for up to seven areas of health information services:

• Health Risk Appraisals (HRAs)
• Interactive Consumer Health Tools
• Encouraging Wellness and Prevention
• Health Information Line
• Pharmacy Benefits
• Hospital Performance
• Physician and Hospital Directories

Those interested in coming forward for HIP Certification are encouraged to contact NCQA Customer Support at (888) 275-7585. More information about the program, including program standards, is available at http://www.ncqa.org/. Surveys for the new program will begin November 1.

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization 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) 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.

# # #