Accreditations that highlight quality and performance are frequently earned at organizations like Texas Children’s. Our hospitals and many of our clinics hold credentials that show patients we’re the best.
And now it’s The Health Plan’s turn.
Texas Children’s Health Plan is beginning efforts to earn an accreditation through the National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA). NCQA surveyors will be on campus in April to see how our operations measure up.
“Our survey is in April,” said Dan Christopher, assistant director for Quality and Outcomes at The Health Plan. “However, it’s important for employees to understand that there is a “look back period”, which begins October 1. This means that we must have all of our I’s dotted and T’s crossed very shortly.”
To reach this goal, Christopher and his team have launched the Strive for Five campaign to not only rally Health Plan employees, but employees all across the Texas Children’s system.
“We are all interconnected. The quality of service that we provide Health Plan members is impacted by performance at Texas Children’s Hospital, Texas Children’s Pediatrics and all of our other partners,” Christopher added. “Earning this accreditation is a win for us all.”
Why Strive for Five?
The Strive for Five campaign name was born out of the 5.0 NCQA ranking that we are looking to achieve during the April accreditation. We currently sit at a 2.5.
How do we score higher?
NCQA surveyors will arrive one morning in April of 2020 and begin to review the quality of our operations as it pertains to our members. They will show up at the Bellaire office location and will focus on our performance in six areas. These are:
- Effectiveness of Care
- Availability of Care
- Experience of Care
- Utilization and Risk Adjusted Utilization
- Health Plan Descriptive Information
- Measures Collected Using Electronic Clinical Data Systems
We must do well in these areas to earn a higher score.
“An NCQA designation is important because it means we are meeting the minimum basic standards for the care of our members,” Christopher said. “Of course our goal is go beyond the minimums, but we have to reach this bar first. I know we can do it.”
Want more information?
Just sit tight. Frequent communications will be posted on Connect from now until April 2020.