Media Release

For: Immediate Release
Date: April 21, 2004
Contact: Bruce Cryan (401) 222-5123

RI Health Department Releases Medicare & Medicaid Health Plans’ Performance Data

RI Medicare & Medicaid Health Plans’ Factbook (2002)

Today, the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) released the "RI Medicare & Medicaid Health Plans’ Factbook –2002." The Factbook presents 52 separate statistics covering nine areas of performance for the state’s four largest Medicare and Medicaid Health Plans. These include: Blue Cross---Coordinated Health Partners (Medicare); UnitedHealthcare NE (Medicare and Medicaid); Neighborhood Health Plans (Medicaid). This Factbook is a companion volume to the "RI Commercial Health Plans’ Performance Report -2002" released earlier this year.

HEALTH’s Office of Performance Measurement produced the Factbook as a result of the 1996 Health Care Accessibility and Quality Assurance Act. Author Bruce Cryan notes that the publication provides information and promotes performance improvement through public reporting.

The Factbook examines areas ranging from finances, utilization and access, to clinical, satisfaction and utilization review. When available, national benchmarks are provided for comparisons; and most measures include 5 years of trend data.

This, and other Office of Performance Measurement publications on hospitals and nursing homes are available on HEALTH’s website (www.HEALTH.ri.gov)