Department of Health Care Services 2009 Gold Quality Award for SFHP

San Francisco Health Plan (SFHP), the City's community public health plan, today announced that it has received the Department of Health Care Services 2009 Gold Quality Award, ranking the plan as a leader in quality care throughout the state of California for Medi-Cal managed care plans.

"We are honored and humbled by the recognition," said Dr. Kelly Pfeifer, SFHP Medical Director. "It's a testament to the excellent care delivered by hard-working safety-net providers in San Francisco, and to the ongoing commitment of our staff and community partners. Our innovative incentive programs have clearly inspired our members to become active participants in their own care."

Betsy Price, RN, MPH, Senior Clinical Compliance Manager, was also honored with the Special Acknowledgement Quality Award for her outstanding contribution to quality improvement and acknowledged as a Master Trainer in facility site and medical record reviews. "I'm surprised and delighted by the recognition," stated Price. "I share it with the dedicated team of certified nurse reviewers in our medical groups who work hard to ensure our members are receiving the quality care they expect and deserve in our provider offices."

Statewide rankings are determined by Health Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) results, a set of nationally recognized performance measures of health plans developed by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). A high score on HEDIS quality measures is a key indicator that San Francisco Health Plan providers are taking excellent care of members, and that San Francisco Health Plan has established an exceptional Medi-Cal provider support system.

"This recognition is a tremendous honor that we eagerly accept and embrace," said John F. Grgurina, Jr., CEO of San Francisco Health Plan. "Providing access to quality care is a cornerstone of the San Francisco Health Plan mission, so being ranked as a top Medi-Cal Plan is an important and distinguished designation. We are grateful to have a provider network and a Governing Board that share our commitment to quality care."

SFHP continues to garner national attention as the administrator of Healthy San Francisco, the innovative county-based health care program that currently provides access to quality healthcare for over 45,500 county residents, regardless of their pre-existing conditions or immigration status.