Julien's Journal December 2016 (Volume 41, Number 12) | Page 40

HEALTH & WELLNESS MEDICAL BREIFS Medical Associates Health Plan Receives 5-Star Rating Medical Associates Iowa/Illinois Medicare Plan once again earned a 5-star rating for 2017, the highest overall rating for quality and service, from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This marks the sixth consecutive year Medical Associates has received a 5-star rating. Only 16 other medical plans in the nation received 5 stars. CMS developed the Medicare Star Quality Ratings to help beneficiaries compare plans and identify those who consistently deliver high quality care and service. The overall star rating combines scores for the types of services each plan offers. For plans covering health services, the overall score for quality of those services covers many different topics that fall into five categories: staying healthy, managing chronic (long term) conditions, member experience with the health plan, member complaints and changes in the health plan’s performance, and health plan customer service. A 5-star Medicare plan is identified by CMS as providing high quality and value for Medicare beneficiaries. The 5-star Medicare rating is a reflection of Medical Associates Health Plans’ long time commitment to its members and to the community. Members have convenient access to local customer service, quality improvement, disease management, claims processing, and a 24-hour nurse phone line. In addition to high-quality care and service, another benefit of a 5-star plan is that Medicare beneficiaries may change their health plan to Medical Associates through the 5-star special enrollment period from December 8, 2016, to November 30, 2017, without having to wait until the next annual open enrollment period. To learn more about Medicare Star Quality Ratings, or to use the Medicare Plan Finder, visit www. medicare.gov. Medicare evaluates plans based on a 5-star rating system. Star ratings are calculated each year and may change from one year to the next. Established in 1982, Medical Associates enrolls over 14,000 Medicare members residing in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois. See more at www. mahealthcare.com. UnityPoint Health® Earn “A” Grade for Patient Safety New Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, which assign A, B, C, D, and F letter grades to hospitals nationwide, were announced by The Leapfrog Group, a national patien t safety watchdog. UnityPoint Health® affiliates Allen Hospital in Waterloo, Finley Hospital in Dubuque, and St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids were listed among the nine Iowa hospitals granted an “A” ranking among the safest hospitals in the United States. Developed under the guidance of an Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 30 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public. To see Allen, Finley and St. Luke’s full grades, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org. 115 Years of Auxiliary November 15, 1911 marks the date that UnityPoint Health Finley Hospital’s Auxiliary was founded. For 105 years, the volunteer group has supported the hospital’s mission by providing services to patients and their families through direct contact or fundraising that benefits patients and the hospital. 38  ❖  Julien’s Journal Their work continues today; the Auxiliary hosts ongoing patients support programs such as their annual Love Light Star, coordinates special events, including their “Books and Goods Fair,” and provide volunteer support in several areas of the hospital.