UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Kansas receives Health Equity Accreditation
Lucia Jones Herrera, MSN, RN; Associate Director for SDOH and Maternal Program
Kasey Mullins, RN, BSN, MBA; Senior Director of Clinical Quality
Anna Purcell; Associate Director of Business Process
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Kansas is excited to announce that the health plan has been recognized with Health Equity Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). This achievement highlights the health plan’s work to support access to high-quality care and advance health equity in communities across the state.
NCQA is an independent, non-profit organization that is dedicated to improving the quality of health care across the nation.1 Health Equity Accreditation is based on a comprehensive framework to guide organizations to achieve health equity goals, deliver culturally and linguistically appropriate services and reduce disparities.2 NCQA’s Health Equity Accreditation evaluates how well organizations meet rigorous standards in areas including organizational readiness, demographic data collection, access to language services, and reducing health care disparities.
Health Equity Accreditation demonstrates that UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Kansas maintains an equitable internal culture and proactively identifies and addresses health inequities. Quality is central to the health plan’s mission and culture. The health plan has earned a 4-star rating from NCQA and remains the top-rated Medicaid health plan in the state, in addition to receiving NCQA distinctions for Long-Term Services and Supports and Electronic Clinical Data.
As part of its commitment to equity and cultural competency, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Kansas ensures that all staff, both clinical and non-clinical, undergo cultural competency training. This training is designed to increase awareness and understanding of the unique needs of members from diverse cultural backgrounds. Additionally, the health plan employs bilingual advocates fluent in Spanish to better serve Spanish-speaking members, and its interpretation services offer access to interpreters in more than 200 languages to ensure effective communication with all members.
The health plan tracks and analyzes key quality measures to identify and address disparities. It collaborates with internal teams, members, providers and community partners to develop targeted interventions that address identified disparities. The plan promotes and incorporates quality in its organizational structure, including the Member Advisory Committee, which provides a platform for diverse community members to offer input, ensuring that the health plan remains responsive to the needs of the populations it serves.
Additionally, the health plan draws on UnitedHealth Group resources like the Health Equity Services Program. This cross-functional, enterprise-wide initiative brings together leaders from departments including clinical, network, operations, data and informatics, customer service and marketing across business sectors to foster a holistic approach to reducing health disparities.
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Kansas is dedicated to making equitable care the industry standard. The recent NCQA Health Equity Accreditation and the health plan’s ongoing initiatives demonstrate its dedication to improving health outcomes and reducing disparities in care. To learn more about how UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Kansas is impacting the local community, visit UHCCS.com/Kansas.
