Group Health's HMO Medicare Advantage plan earns 5-Star rating from CMS

Group Health's HMO Medicare Advantage plan has earned the highest rating available from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Group Health is one of only 16 plans in the country to receive this rating for 2015.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) assigns scores of one to five stars to Medicare Advantage plans based on more than 50 care and service quality measures across five categories. Measures include how a health plan helps its members stay healthy, manage chronic conditions, member satisfaction, customer service, and pharmacy services.

"Group Health's approach to quality is that it's not a means to garner recognition or awards, rather it's an outcome of our team's expertise and commitment to doing what's best for our members," said Scott Armstrong, President and CEO of Group Health Cooperative. "It's what our patients and members deserve and demand."

Group Health's HMO Medicare Advantage Plan was also ranked 14th in the nation among more than 600 health insurance plans by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The NCQA results will be published in the November issue of Consumer Reports®.

"Recognition as a 5 Star Medicare Advantage plan means we're proactively helping our patients and members keep up their health – which is the essence of why Group Health exists," says Chief Medical Executive Steve Tarnoff, MD. "The more we listen to our patients' perception of quality, we know they want the kind of experience that the 5-star program honors: care that makes them feel heard and involved in their health, makes transactions easy, and keeps them safe."