Healthways Again Awarded Health Information Product NCQA ...

Tag : alternative health products
Healthways, Inc. (NASDAQ: HWAY) has again been awarded distinctionsfrom the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), this timefor three categories of products and services: health riskappraisals, interactive consumer health tools and encouragingwellness and prevention. These distinctions reflect Healthways'continued excellence managing data collection and systemsoperation, and the processes it utilizes to assure continuousimprovement. Certification is the result of rigorous evaluationsconducted by a team of healthcare professionals and a nationaloversight committee of physicians analyzing the team's findings anddetermining certification based on compliance with NCQA standards.

"We believe a big part of what makes Healthways' products andservices exemplary - across the spectrum from disease management,to wellness and prevention - is our proven track record ofutilizing medical best practices, cutting edge process improvementand seeking accreditation from major, important third-partycertification programs like NCQA," said Pam Hara, Healthways SeniorVice President Quality and Outcomes. "We are pleased to again behonored with these important certifications."

"Earning NCQA's HIP Certification demonstrates that an organizationhas expertise in gathering and disseminating health careinformation for health plan members," said Kathleen C. Mudd, VicePresident, Product Delivery NCQA. "Healthways is to be commendedfor being one of the first organizations in the nation to bereviewed for these services."

Healthways NCQA distinctions for health risk appraisals,interactive consumer health tools and encouraging wellness andprevention were awarded for components embedded in HealthwaysHealth Support(SM) and health coaching programs; like myhealthIQand lifestyle management. The company has also been accredited forits disease management programs since 2002.

About NCQA

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is a private,not-for-profit organization dedicated to assessing and reporting onthe quality of managed care plans. We are governed by a Board ofDirectors that includes employers, consumer and laborrepresentatives, health plans, quality experts, policy makers, andrepresentatives from organized medicine.

NCQA's mission is to improve the quality of health care. NCQAprovides information that enables purchasers and consumers ofmanaged health care to distinguish among plans based on quality,thereby allowing them to make more informed health care purchasingdecisions. This encourages plans to compete based on quality andvalue, rather than on price and provider network. Our efforts areorganized around two activities, accreditation and performancemeasurement, which are complementary strategies for producinginformation to guide choice. These activities have been integratedunder NCQA's Accreditation '99 program, which includes selectedperformance measures in such key areas as member satisfaction,quality of care, access, and service.

About Healthways

Healthways is the leading provider of specialized, comprehensiveHealth and Care Support(SM) solutions to help millions of peoplemaintain or improve their health and, as a result, reduce overallhealthcare costs. Healthways' solutions are designed to helphealthy individuals stay healthy, mitigate and slow the progressionof disease associated with family or lifestyle risk factors andpromote the best possible health for those already affected bydisease. Our proven, evidence-based programs provide highlyspecific and personalized interventions for each individual in apopulation, irrespective of age or health status, and are deliveredto consumers by phone, mail, internet and face-to-faceinteractions, both domestically and internationally. Healthwaysalso provides a national, fully accredited complementary andalternative Health Provider Network, offering convenient access toindividuals who seek health services outside of, and in conjunctionwith, the traditional healthcare system. For more information,please visit www.healthways.com.