US Family Health Plan achieves 2009 member satisfaction

One might call it “the little healthcare plan that could.” While the debate over healthcare reform rages, the US Family Health Plan, a Department of Defense-sponsored healthcare plan administered by CHRISTUS Health of Houston for about 11,000 military family members in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana, has achieved a 2009 member satisfaction rating 44.5 percent above the national average. The rating is based on a comparison to the 237 health plans documented by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) in its Quality Compass 2009 Public Report. In fact, compared with those plans, the US Family Health Plan at CHRISTUS Health ranks in the 99^th percentile nationally in member satisfaction.

“The US Family Health Plan members ages 18-64 also report significantly higher than average satisfaction with customer service and claims processing.”

The independent assessment of the US Family Health Plan utilized the same survey protocol as the health plans included in the Quality Compass report and was administered by an NCQA-certified survey vendor, The Myers Group of Snellville, Ga. The protocol, known as the Health Plan Employer Data & Information Set (HEDIS^®), is used by more than 90 percent of America’s health plans to measure performance on important dimensions of care and service. Included in HEDIS is the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS^®) 4.0H Survey, which measures members’ satisfaction in such areas as claims processing, customer service and getting needed care quickly. The HEDIS/CAHPS survey results provide comparable results across populations—Medicaid, commercial and Medicare.

A random sample of 777 members of the US Family Health Plan at CHRISTUS Health, culled from throughout the local service area, rated their overall satisfaction with the plan. On a scale of 0 through 10, with 10 the best possible rating, 93.1 percent of the members rated their overall satisfaction as an 8, 9 or 10. The national average for member satisfaction with health plans, based on those that publicly report their data and are included in the 2009 Quality Compass (non-PPO) Public report, is 64.4 percent.

“The member satisfaction score for the US Family Health Plan at CHRISTUS Health far exceeds the benchmark for the core population, which includes survey respondents of all ages,” said David Bahlinger, director of analytics and research for The Myers Group. “The US Family Health Plan members ages 18-64 also report significantly higher than average satisfaction with customer service and claims processing.”

Col. Marshall Bolyard, U.S. Army-retired, executive director of the US Family Health Plan at CHRISTUS Health, said, “Year after year, our members confirm through independent surveys that they are among the happiest health plan beneficiaries in America. Having recently expanded our local hospital and doctor network, we now have nearly 900 participating providers who deliver a full continuum of high-quality care, from wellness and prevention programs to intensive case management for persons with chronic or multiple conditions.”