Meridian Rates among Top Medicaid Plans in Michigan

DETROIT and TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Meridian Health Plan of Michigan, Inc. (Meridian), a WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) company, received an overall score of 4 out of 5 in the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Ratings 2018-2019.

NCQA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality, publicly released its 2018-19 Health Insurance Plan Ratings at healthinsuranceratings.ncqa.org. The annual report rates more than 1,000 commercial, Medicaid and Medicare plans based on consumer satisfaction, prevention and treatment.

NCQA evaluated Meridian's clinical performance based on three overall areas: consumer satisfaction, prevention and treatment. Among the highlights, Meridian:

• Earned 5 out of 5 for the treatment of steroid after hospitalization for acute COPD;
• Earned 4 out of 5 for the treatment of bronchodilator after hospitalization for acute COPD;
• Scored 5 out of 5 in certain diabetes measures including diabetic eye exams and patients with diabetes ? statin adherence 80 percent.

"Meridian's commitment to member-focused care has been a priority each year as we continue to strive toward providing the highest quality of care," said Sean Kendall, president and COO, Meridian. "Our 4 out of 5 rating is something to be proud of as it demonstrates our dedication to the well-being of our members."

Meridian Health Plan of Michigan, Inc. has also achieved an Accreditation status of "Commendable" from NCQA.

Meridian is a group of health plans with offices in Michigan and Illinois. Meridian's affiliates include MeridianHealth (Medicaid), MeridianCare (Medicare), MeridianComplete (Medicare-Medicaid), MeridianChoice (Health Insurance Marketplace) and MeridianRx, a Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM). For more information, visit www.mhplan.com.

About NCQA Ratings
NCQA ratings are based on three types of quality measures: measures of clinical quality from NCQA's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS^®); measures of consumer satisfaction using Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS^®); and results from NCQA's review of a health plan's health quality processes (i.e., performance on NCQA accreditation standards). NCQA rates health plans that report quality information publicly. For a more detailed review of the latest NCQA health insurance plan ratings report, visit: http://healthinsuranceratings.ncqa.org/2017/search/Medicaid/MI.

About NCQA
National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes clinicians in key clinical areas. NCQA's HEDIS^® is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA's website (www.ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.

About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) focuses exclusively on providing government-sponsored managed care services to families, children, seniors and individuals with complex medical needs primarily through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, as well as individuals in the Health Insurance Marketplace. WellCare serves approximately 5.5 million members nationwide as of September 1, 2018. For more information about WellCare, please visit the company's website at www.wellcare.com.

SOURCE WellCare Health Plans, Inc.