Press Releases & Events
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11/21/2006: RiverBend Medical Group Receives 2006 US Family Health Plan Quality Excellence Award 12/5/2005: New England Eye Center Receives 2005 US Family Health Plan Quality Excellence Award 7/11/2005: US Family Health Plan Expands Provider Network in Rhode Island 6/6/2005: US Family Health Plan Reports High Member Satisfaction 4/12/2005: US Family Health Plan Membership Reaches 10,000 4/4/2005: US Family Health Plan Offers Hearing Aid Discount US Family Health Plan at Brighton Marine Reports Member Satisfaction Among the Highest in America BOSTON - US Family Health Plan at Brighton Marine today reports its 2006 member satisfaction rating is 92 percent, compared to the national average satisfaction rating of 65 percent for health plans, according to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and its Quality Compass 2006 Public Report. US Family Health Plan at Brighton Marine is one of six providers nationally of US Family Health Plan, a comprehensive TRICARE health care option sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD), which is available to military retirees, eligible retiree family members and eligible family members of active-duty personnel, including reservists and National Guard members. US Family Health Plan at Brighton Marine was the highest scoring among all six of the US Family Health Plans, which had an aggregate satisfaction rating of 87 percent. Members of US Family Health Plan at Brighton Marine rated their overall satisfaction with the Plan, customer service, and access to healthcare services. On a scale ranging from zero to 10 (with 10 being the highest satisfaction rating), 92 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, executive director of US Family Health Plan at Brighton Marine. The survey was conducted by The Myers Group of Snellville, Ga., an NCQA Certified Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) Survey Vendor, using the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) 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. The survey reports that US Family Health Plan members are highly satisfied with the Plan's primary care providers, as well as with the Plan's network specialists. 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. 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. About US Family Health Plan at Brighton Marine RiverBend Medical Group Receives 2006 US Family Health Plan Quality Excellence Award Western Mass. Healthcare Provider Recognized for Outstanding Service AGAWAM, Mass. — For its commitment to providing patients with the highest quality care, RiverBend Medical Group, the largest private physician group practice in the Pioneer Valley, this week received the US Family Health Plan’s Quality Excellence Award. RiverBend Medical Group was selected from thousands of US Family Health Plan network providers. The US Family Health Plan Quality Excellence Award is given annually to any network provider, group, nurse, physician, or administrator who demonstrates commitment to quality and excellence in health care. US Family Heath Plan presented RiverBend Medical Group with a plaque and $500. RiverBend Medical Group, with 65 physicians in Agawam, Chicopee, Springfield, and Westfield, is among the first healthcare providers in the region to implement Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) to improve the management of patient care. The system integrates scheduling, registration, and billing records with in-depth medical records, allowing all medical and clerical personnel to do their specific jobs for each patient, while freeing doctors from the paperwork associated with conventional patient records. The EMR system allows patients and doctors more time to discuss symptoms or treatments, and having a computer in each exam room provides all the background information needed to make the most informed choices. “RiverBend’s investment in technology for the purpose of providing better customer care is impressive,” says US Family Health Plan Executive Director David Chicoine. “We believe in honoring our providers whose actions are aligned with the US Family Health Plan mission to provide the best health care possible to retirees of the uniformed serves and the families of active military.” In addition to EMR, RiverBend Medical Group has policies in place to empower employees on all levels, from doctor to receptionist, to order preventative screenings for patients, which has helped to improve HEDIS scores, a clinical quality measurement standard. “We’ve worked very hard to provide our patients with the best quality care possible and receiving this award really reinforces those efforts,” says Dr. Richard Shuman, Chief of Medicine and Medical Director. “From the ease of making appointments to the sophistication of our technology, we focus every day on finding ways to help ensure good health for Pioneer Valley families.” About US Family Health Plan at Brighton Marine: New England Eye Center Receives 2005 US Family Health Plan Quality Excellence Award Military health plan selects Boston-based ophthalmology group for prestigious award for continuous performance improvement BOSTON, MA (December 5, 2005) - US Family Health Plan, a locally administered, Department of Defense sponsored managed care plan for military families, announced today that it has selected New England Eye Center (NEEC) located at Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center as the recipient of its 2005 Quality Excellence Award. New England Eye Center was chosen for its achievements in delivering the highest quality care and service, and in its continuous performance improvement. As this year's recipient, NEEC was selected for its successful collaboration with US Family Health Plan in significantly increasing the screening rates for diabetic retinopathy among its members. As part of this collaboration, process improvements were made to ensure consistent and timely patient education and reminders, as well as to ensure consistent communication back to the primary care physician. The purpose of the Quality Excellence Award is to recognize providers in the plan's network for achieving world-class service and health care quality. The award also promotes recognition of quality achievements and raises awareness of the importance and techniques of performance improvement to realizing quality excellence. Additionally, the award is intended to encourage the sharing of information and best practices. The criteria used for selecting an award winner is designed to help individuals, providers and organizations prioritize efforts and understand how quality is measured by the plan. This allows providers to improve overall quality of care and service and enhance their competitiveness by focusing on delivering ever-improving value to the members and improving overall organizational performance. "New England Eye Center's efforts, in concert with US Family Health Plan, to improve health care outcomes exemplify the commitment to quality that this award is intended to recognize," said David Chicoine, Executive Director of US Family Health Plan. "We're proud to include New England Eye Center in our network and are extremely pleased with the high quality care they provide to the military families we serve." "We are excited about receiving the U.S. Family Health Quality Excellence Award. Vision loss from diabetic retinopathy is often preventable, and regular yearly eye exams are extremely important for everyone with diabetes. We are happy that working together with U.S. Family Health our team was so successful in increasing the screening rate, " said Cynthia Mattox, M.D. Medical Director of New England Eye Center's office at St Elizabeth's Medical Center. About US Family Health Plan: US Family Health Plan Expands Provider Network in Rhode Island Expansion significantly increases physician and hospital choices for area military families BOSTON, MA (July 11, 2005) - The Military Health System's US Family Health Plan announced today that with the recent addition of several local physician groups, it has tripled the number of primary care providers in its Rhode Island provider network. This network expansion gives thousands of active-duty military beneficiaries, military retirees and their eligible family members greater access to more hospital and provider choices under this local TRICARE Prime option. Included in the recent network expansion are:
This network expansion now gives US Family Health Plan members greater access to Rhode Island Hospital and other Lifespan facilities, and Kent Hospital in Warwick. These new provider choices are in addition to the Plan's existing provider network, which includes primary care providers affiliated with Newport Hospital, Our Lady of Fatima Hospital, and St. Joseph's Hospital for Specialty Care. US Family Health Plan provides the comprehensive TRICARE Prime benefit-including routine and preventive care, emergency treatment, hospitalization, and full prescription coverage-to active-duty family members, military retirees, eligible dependents of military retirees, and survivors of deceased active duty or retired service members who reside within the Plan's service area. The Plan is virtually free for active duty family members and eligible beneficiaries with Medicare Part B, who pay no enrollment fees or co-payments for covered medical services except for prescriptions. Military retirees and retiree dependents without Part B pay an annual enrollment fee of $230 for individual coverage, $460 for family coverage, and have small co-payments for most medical services. In addition to TRICARE benefits, US Family Health Plan members have access to special value-added benefits such as chiropractic care, acupuncture and massage therapy, as well as discounts on eyewear, hearing aids and fitness centers. "This recent network expansion not only demonstrates our responsiveness to the needs of our members, but also underscores our commitment to military families in Rhode Island," said David Chicoine, Executive Director of US Family Health Plan. "We are very pleased to now offer even greater access to high quality and convenient healthcare for local military families. Providing superior care and service to our members is essential to our mission of being the premier option in the military health system." Information about US Family Health Plan and their network of local providers is available at www.usfamilyhealthplan.org or by calling 1-888-815-5510. About US Family Health Plan: US Family Health Plan Reports High Member Satisfaction Military health plan's member satisfaction rates significantly higher than national average BOSTON, MA (June 6, 2005) - The Military Health System's US Family Health Plan at Brighton Marine announced today that its most recent membership satisfaction survey resulted in a 91.0% member satisfaction rating. This rating is nearly 30 percent higher than the national average of 61.8%. The survey was conducted by Market Street Research, a nationally recognized marketing research company. The survey also found that 91.7% of members were highly satisfied with the health care they received through the plan, compared to the national average of 76.3%. Members expressed high satisfaction with customer service, with 93.8% of members indicating that they had no difficulty with unfriendly or impersonal representatives. In addition, 82.8% of members surveyed said they would definitely recommend the plan to others. "The survey results demonstrate that we are meeting our members' needs, and achieving our objective of delivering high-quality, member-focused care and service to military families," said David Chicoine, US Family Health Plan Executive Director. "Nevertheless, we continuously seek to improve our services so that we can keep our members highly satisfied, and this survey enables us to highlight areas for improvement. In fact, past surveys have led us to expand both our service area and our provider network, to make care more convenient and accessible for members." The survey was conducted using standard HEDIS/CAHPS methodology and had response rate of over 75%. The main objective of the study was to determine: Under the US Family Health Plan members receive the comprehensive TRICARE Prime medical benefit-which includes preventive care, outpatient care, emergency treatment, hospitalization, and prescription benefits-through a network of local civilian physicians and hospitals. The plan is available to families of active-duty military, military retirees and their eligible family members, including those over the age of 65. In addition to TRICARE benefits, US Family Health Plan members have access to special value-added benefits such as chiropractic care, massage therapy, and discounts on eyewear, hearing aids and fitness centers. US Family Health Plan is provided throughout central and southern New England by Brighton Marine Health Center, through a contract with the Department of Defense. More information about US Family Health Plan is available at www.usfamilyhealthplan.org, or by calling 1-888-815-5510. About US Family Health Plan: US Family Health Plan Membership Reaches 10,000 Military health plan achieves enrollment milestone by providing high-quality care and service to military families BOSTON, MA (April 12, 2005) - The Military Health System's US Family Health Plan announced today that its membership in central and southern New England has surpassed 10,000 members. Attaining this enrollment milestone reflects the success the plan has had in providing high-quality care and service to its members and maintaining very high levels of member satisfaction. "The fact that our enrollment has continued to increase over the years shows that a growing number of military families look to US Family Health Plan to provide them with the reliable, high-quality care that they deserve." said David Chicoine, US Family Health Plan Executive Director. "We are honored that so many military families have entrusted us with their care." To celebrate the plan's growth with its members, US Family Health Plan will be hosting an event on Monday, April 25, 2005 at noon at the Brighton Marine Health Center, located at 77 Warren Street in Brighton, MA. The event will feature a brief ceremony and refreshments. All US Family Health Plan members are invited to attend. US Family Health Plan members receive the comprehensive TRICARE Prime medical benefit-which includes preventive care, outpatient care, emergency treatment, hospitalization, and prescription benefits-through a network of local civilian physicians and hospitals. Active-duty family members, as well as retirees and their dependents with Medicare Part B who join the Plan, receive virtually free healthcare, and pay no enrollment fees or co-payments for covered medical services, except for prescriptions. Military retirees and their dependents without Part B pay an annual enrollment fee of $230 for individual coverage, $460 for family coverage, and have modest co-payments for most medical services. In addition to TRICARE benefits, US Family Health Plan members have access to special value-added benefits such as chiropractic care, massage therapy, and discounts on eyewear, hearing aids and fitness centers. "Reaching this significant milestone reminds us that hard work, a commitment to quality, and our shared efforts result in success. It is important to recognize that this success is due not only to the unwavering commitment shown to our members by our providers and staff, but most importantly to our members themselves, who have placed their trust in us," added Mr. Chicoine. US Family Health Plan is provided throughout central and southern New England by Brighton Marine Health Center, through a contract with the Department of Defense. More information about US Family Health Plan is available at www.usfamilyhealthplan.org, or by calling 1-888-815-5510. About US Family Health Plan: US Family Health Plan Offers Hearing Aid Discount New discount enhances military health plan's comprehensive benefits BOSTON, MA (April 4, 2005) - US Family Health Plan, a TRICARE Prime designated provider for central and southern New England, announced today that it has contracted with Milford Audiology Center in Milford, MA to provide its members with a 20% discount on hearing aids and some related services. This discount is not part of the government-defined TRICARE benefit, and is not available through other TRICARE options: it is available exclusively to US Family Health Plan members. The new hearing aid discount is a significant addition to the suite of value-added benefits already available exclusively to US Family Health Plan members, such as chiropractic care and eyewear discounts. Milford Audiology is the exclusive provider of this discount to US Family Health Plan members. No claims forms or other paperwork are required for members to receive the discount: they simply present their US Family Health Plan member ID cards when registering for their appointment at Milford Audiology. "US Family Health Plan strives to be the premier option within the TRICARE system by constantly enhancing the value of membership and by exceeding our members' expectations," states David Chicoine, US Family Health Plan Executive Director. "This is just another example of the Plan filling a need." Questions regarding on which hearing services are discounted or how to access care through Milford Audiology Center may be answered by calling the center at 508-478-0723. US Family Health Plan is provided throughout central and southern New England by Brighton Marine Health Center, through a contract with the Department of Defense. More information about US Family Health Plan is available at www.usfamilyhealthplan.org, or by calling 1-888-815-5510. About US Family Health Plan: |
