Press Releases: 2009

Two AmeriHealth Mercy Medicaid Plans Earn Thomson Reuters
2009 Healthcare Advantage Award

July 21, 2009
Philadelphia, PA – Two health plans of the AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies were recently awarded the Thomson Reuters 2009 Healthcare Advantage Award for their innovative use of technology to improve the care of their members. Keystone Mercy Health Plan, based in Southeastern Pennsylvania, and AmeriHealth Mercy Health Plan, based in central and northeastern Pennsylvania, were presented the award.  

The award is given to hospitals, health plans, government agencies and large employers that use data analytics to improve their quality of care and business results.  The AmeriHealth Mercy plans were cited for their evaluation of and reporting on physician performance as well as a new service that helps network doctors, case management staff, member services staff and members themselves identify gaps in members’ care such as missed screenings or check ups.

“Organizations that provide and pay for health care are facing difficult challenges today as they strive to control costs and improve quality,” said Mike Boswood, President and CEO of the Healthcare and Science business of Thomson Reuters.  “Healthcare Advantage Award winners have made an inspiring commitment to excellence and delivered exceptional results.  We are pleased to celebrate their successes and recognize their hard work and dedication to performance improvement.”

“We are honored to receive the Thomson Reuters 2009 Healthcare Advantage Award,” said Anne Morrissey, Chief Operating Officer, AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies. “This is one more tool in our overall case management and disease management programs that is helping our members stay well through preventive services.”

Using the Thomson Reuters’ Rules Engine, the AmeriHealth Mercy plans search their member data to identify and automatically push care gap data to the online tools used by various audiences that touch their members. Care gap information is data about an important preventive service that a member may be missing, ranging from mammograms to asthma medication check-ups. AmeriHealth Mercy and Keystone Mercy track more than 35 health screenings with this new system.

The service helps get important information to the people who need it, when they need it. For example, when network providers check patient eligibility online, they are also alerted if there is an unmet care need -- or care gap -- such as an overdue mammogram. The doctor can then discuss the service with his or her patient.

AmeriHealth Mercy is one of the first Medicaid managed care organizations in the nation to get this information to its network providers. This new tool has helped the plans improve in 11 of 12 HEDIS measures targeted by the state of Pennsylvania. HEDIS is a set of preventive care guidelines set by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

“We are committed to using technology to improve care,” said Jay Feldstein, DO, Corporate Chief Medical Officer, AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies. “As the nation seeks for innovative ways to improve care and lower costs, programs such as ours are models for the nation. They help provide a more coordinated, focused care.”