Wellpoint Washington Earns NCQA Health Equity Accreditation Plus

Newly established accreditation recognizes Wellpoint’s commitment to health equity, prioritizing the needs of socioeconomically marginalized individuals at the highest risk for adverse health outcomes in Washington.

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wellpoint Washington Inc. (Wellpoint), formerly known as Amerigroup Washington Inc., recently earned the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Health Equity Accreditation Plus, a recognition of Wellpoint’s leadership in developing solutions to enhance access to equitable, high-quality healthcare in Washington. It further underscores Wellpoint’s commitment to eliminating health disparities in underserved communities to improve health outcomes and reduce overall treatment costs.

“NCQA’s Health Equity Accreditation Plus recognizes our unwavering dedication to eliminating health disparities and ensuring access to high-quality care for everyone,” said Wellpoint president, Anthony E. Woods. “This milestone positions Wellpoint at the forefront of advancing health equity through our innovative and impactful programs that provide access to individualized care to improve the whole health of our members.”

NCQA Health Equity Accreditation Plus builds upon the Health Equity Accreditation designation received last year, when it was recognized among the first Medicaid plans in the nation to create a strategic framework that prioritizes health equity based on race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

The new Health Equity Accreditation Plus goes a step further by acknowledging Wellpoint’s data-driven approach to identify and collect information on individuals’ social needs. This data enables Wellpoint to develop personalized services and supports to combat health inequities and establish impactful relationships with community-based organizations (CBOs) to improve the health outcomes of individuals.

One way Wellpoint is advancing its health equity mission is through its Find Help tool, an online resource directory used to help locate community resources and programs such as food, education, housing, and transportation assistance. Through an integrated social care network, it serves Wellpoint Washington members' social needs and tracks outcomes by allowing associates to refer members to resources via the Community Resource link.

“Racial and ethnic disparities have hindered quality healthcare progression for many Americans,” said Margaret E. O’Kane, NCQA President. “Organizations earning the Health Equity Accreditation Plus like Wellpoint are leading the way in bridging this gap, and NCQA salutes their commitment.”

About NCQA

NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA’s website (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more-informed health care choices. NCQA can be found online at ncqa.org, on Twitter @ncqa, on Facebook at facebook.com/NCQA.org/ and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/ncqa.

ABOUT Wellpoint

Wellpoint, part of the Elevance Health family of brands, focuses on improving physical health as well as the behavioral and social drivers that impact it through a comprehensive suite of Medicare, Medicaid, and Commercial products. The Wellpoint companies offer healthcare services for consumers at any stage of life seeking to make the right care decisions and helps individuals and communities make real, positive progress with health plans that foster independence, confidence, and whole-person health. For more information, please visit www.wellpoint.com.