WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- US Family Health Plan today reports 2006 national member satisfaction ratings of 87 percent -- 22 percent higher than the national average for satisfaction with health plans as reported by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) in its Quality Compass 2006 Public Report. Results demonstrate members' loyalty and view of the US Family Health Plan as an accessible, long-term TRICARE Prime option, sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD) and available to military retirees, eligible retiree family members and eligible family members of active-duty personnel, including reservists and National Guard members.
A sample of members representing each TRICARE Designated Provider organization that offers US Family Health Plan rated their overall satisfaction with the Plan, customer service and the utilization of healthcare services. Rated on a scale ranging from zero to 10 (with 10 being the highest satisfaction rating), 87 percent of members rated their overall satisfaction with the Plan as an 8 or higher.
"While our members continue to report high satisfaction, we remain committed to ongoing evaluation of our customer service and delivery of care to ensure that US Family Health Plan consistently provides the highest quality healthcare to our military families," said David Chicoine, current chair of the US Family Health Plan Alliance.
The survey reports that US Family Health Plan members are highly satisfied with their personal providers and the specialists they see through the network. In fact, member satisfaction with their personal doctors was higher for US Family Health Plan than for any other health plan nationally that reported its data through the Quality Compass 2006 Public Report. US Family Health Plan members also continue to report high satisfaction with the ability to get care quickly, with their interactions with office staff, and with their providers' listening skills, as well as the amount of time their providers spend with them and the clarity of their explanations.
Additionally, members continue to be highly satisfied with US Family Health Plan's customer service representatives and the timeliness in which they receive resolutions to problems. Results show that for 12 straight years, US Family Health Plan continues to exceed the expectations of its members and that they are among the most satisfied health plan beneficiaries in America.
The survey was conducted by The Myers Group of Snellville, Ga., an NCQA Certified Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS(r)) Survey Vendor, using the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS(r)) 3.0H survey methodology. Developed jointly by the Agency for Healthcare Research (AHRQ) and NCQA, the CAHPS 3.0H survey is the most comprehensive tool available for assessing consumers' experiences with their health plans.
US Family Health Plan, celebrating 25 years of serving military families, is available through networks of community-based hospitals and physicians in six areas of the country. US Family Health Plan enrollment is offered through:
-- Johns Hopkins Medicine (1-800-801-9322) - serving central
Maryland, Washington D.C., and parts of Pennsylvania, Virginia
and West Virginia
-- Martin's Point Healthcare (1-888-241-4556) - serving Maine,
Vermont, New Hampshire and northeastern New York
-- Brighton Marine Health Center (1-800-818-8589) - serving
Massachusetts, including Cape Cod, plus Rhode Island and
northern Connecticut
-- St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers (1-800-241-4848) - serving
parts of New York, all of New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania and
southern Connecticut
-- CHRISTUS Health (1-800-678-7347) - serving southeast Texas and
southwest Louisiana, and
-- Pacific Medical Centers (1-888-958-7347) - serving the Puget
Sound area of Washington State.
For more information, visit the US Family Health Plan Web site at www.usfamilyhealthplan.org.
The US Family Health Plan logo can be found at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=1094
Note to Editors:
CAHPS(r) is a registered trademark of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).