09/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/08/2024 20:01
Aug 9, 2024
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Aug. 8, 2024) - Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) has been awarded Health Equity Accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for its commercial health plans, recognizing the insurer's efforts to reduce health disparities and promote health equity for its members and the communities it serves.
BCBSRI is the only health insurer serving Rhode to achieve NCQA Health Equity Accreditation for commercial health plans serving Rhode Islanders.
NCQA's Health Equity Accreditation recognizes organizations that lead the market in providing culturally and linguistically sensitive services and work to reduce health care disparities. In awarding accreditation, NCQA evaluates how well an organization complies with standards in the following areas: organizational readiness; race/ethnicity, language, gender identify and sexual orientation; access and availability of language services; practitioner network cultural responsiveness; culturally and linguistically appropriate services programs; and reducing health care disparities.
"We are honored to receive this accreditation from NCQA, which validates our comprehensive and sustained efforts to identify and address health disparities in Rhode Island," said Martha L. Wofford, president and CEO of BCBSRI. "We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve their best health, regardless of the color of their skin, the language they speak or where they live. This accreditation reflects Blue Cross' long-standing commitment to advance health equity and work in partnership with the community to improve the health and well-being of our members and our communities."
The following are highlights of BCBSRI's health equity efforts:
NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane said, "The prevalence of racial and ethnic disparities has been a barrier to improving the quality of health care of many Americans for too long. Organizations achieving Health Equity Accreditation are leaders in closing this gap."