Dec 22 2009
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 99th 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.”
http://www.usfamilyhealthplan.org/