New HMO Ratings released by the State of California show dramatic differences in performance Plan for Health, Patient Satisfaction
December 31st, 2009
For the first time since the State of California began issuing its Health Care Quality Report Card eight years ago, a health plan received four out of four stars for meeting national standards of care. At the same time, three HMOs received lower ratings this year in patient satisfaction, according to the California Office of the Patient Advocate (OPA), which released the annual Report Card today. The Report Card rates the nine largest commercial HMOs in the state that cover approximately 11 million people.
Kaiser Permanente, in both the Northern and Southern California regions, received four star ratings for meeting national standards of care — comparable to the top 10 percent of health plans in the country.
“The good news is that we are seeing some improvement among HMOs in both meeting the national standards of care and patient satisfaction,” said Office of the Patient Advocate Director Sandra Perez. “Unfortunately there are some HMOs that have had their ratings decline in patient satisfaction. Considering the importance and the high price of health care, this is very disappointing for Californians.”
Ratings from the 2009 Edition Health Care Quality Report Card include:
– Blue Shield, PacifiCare, and Western Health Advantage all improved in
meeting national standards of medical care, joining Health Net with a three
star rating (Good).
– For patient satisfaction, the scores generally stayed the same as last
year or declined. California isn’t seeing improvement in this area.
“The top performers show us what’s doable, and the challenge is to see the lowest performers improve,” stated Perez. “For consumers, knowing how their plans rate on various indicators should help them make better health care decisions. In tough economic times, getting the most out of your health care is more important than ever.”
Consumers can learn how plans and medical groups perform on common health conditions such as diabetes, maternity care, asthma, cancer, heart care and mental health, as well as treatment of children and adults.
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