CHA Recognized for Quality Complex Care Management by NCQA
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), an academic community health system serving Cambridge, Somerville, Everett and Boston's metro-north region, is pleased to share that the organization received a three-year accreditation for its Complex Care Management (CCM) program from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a noteworthy accomplishment for a first-time applicant.
CCM is a pivotal component of CHA’s health care delivery model. The framework is a coordinated process of assessment, planning, coordination, evaluation and advocacy of service options for patients (and their families) who have intricate social and behavioral needs. CCM teams at CHA are cross-functional and comprise nurses, physicians, social workers, and community health workers, who focus efforts on at-risk patients and try to reduce avoidable hospitalizations and emergency department visits.
“This award validates our efforts to create systems and processes that help our most vulnerable patients achieve and sustain better health,” said Eleni Carr, Chief Care Integration Officer at Cambridge Health Alliance. “Our providers and staff strive to understand our patients in the context of their daily lives outside of our clinic and hospital walls. The social determinants of health, or the conditions in which people are born, live, learn, work and age greatly impact health outcomes. Earning this accreditation is the result of our talented team of compassionate caregivers and commitment to our diverse patient population.”
NCQA, a private, nonprofit organization, is widely considered to be the industry’s gold standard for health care quality improvement. NCQA assures that organizations use evidence-based, cost-effective and efficient case management processes, to reduce fragmentation and strengthen the care that patients require.
CHA met NCQA's rigorous Case Management Accreditation standards, which are developed with input from researchers in the field, the Case Management Expert Panel and standing committees, as well as state and federal regulators and other experts. The standards encourage organizations to continuously enhance their quality in order to achieve the highest level of performance possible.