HealthPartners Freedom (Cost) plan recognized for high quality care for medication
Most members with diabetes, cholesterol, high blood pressure getting needed medications
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Out of nearly 499 Medicare Part D plans nationwide, HealthPartners Freedom plan is one of only ten to receive the 2018 Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) Excellence in Quality Award.
The award is based on quality measures within the 2018 Medicare Part D Star Ratings program. Medicare uses a Star Rating System to measure how well plans perform in several categories, including quality of care and customer service. Ratings range from one to five stars, with five being the highest and one being the lowest.
HealthPartners Freedom received an overall star rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars in 2018*. In order to be recognized by PQA, the plan needed to score 5 stars for each of the four medication quality measures endorsed by PQA and used in the Medicare Star Ratings program. The measures include the number of members who were getting the medication they need for diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol. More than 21,000 HealthPartners Medicare members have prescriptions for these chronic conditions. Nearly 90 percent of these members had the medications they need.
Strategies that HealthPartners uses to achieve this high rate include:
- Providing bonuses to pharmacies that successfully ensure patients fill and take their prescriptions
- Sending alerts to doctors when people have not filled a prescription
- Sending reminders to patients when a prescription refill is overdue
“Medications can be life-saving, but only if the prescription is filled and medications are taken as prescribed. This award recognizes the importance of providing support to help members get the most from their medications,” said Charlie Fazio, MD, Medical Director for HealthPartners Health Plan.
Other plans who earned the PQA Excellence in Quality Award include Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Tufts Health Plan in Massachusetts and Anthem Health Plans of New Hampshire.
About HealthPartners
HealthPartners is a consumer-governed, non-profit health care organization with a mission to improve health and well-being in partnership with members, patients and the community. For more information, visit healthpartners.com.
About the Pharmacy Quality Alliance:
Established in 2006, PQA represents pharmacy providers, pharmacy benefit managers, health plans, academia, consumer advocates, community pharmacies, health technology vendors, pharmaceutical research and manufacturing companies, and other stakeholders interested in improving the quality of the medication-use system.
*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. To view the plan’s official star rating, visit medicare.org. Statistical data represented by PQA is neither endorsed by CMS nor given by Medicare. HealthPartners is a Cost plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in HealthPartners depends on contract renewal.
Last updated May 2018
H2462_111500 Approved