HNE is among the highest ranked health plans in the country, according to a national organization that ranks managed care companies based on their clinical performance, patient experience and satisfaction as well as their NCQA Accreditation status. The results were published in the November 6, 2006 edition of U.S. News & World Report magazine.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has ranked HNE 15th in the country. The rankings, which include more than 246 commercial plans, are based on a combination of clinical performance, member satisfaction, and NCQA Accreditation status.

HNE also received the top score nationwide in post-natal care for the second consecutive year. This means HNE members received a post-partum visit at a greater rate than members of any other surveyed health plan in the United States.

The rankings were published as "America's Best Health Plans 2006" in U.S. News & World Report and are available in the health section of the magazine's website.  "Exceptional rankings never come easily," said Pat Scheer, HNE's Quality Operations Manager.  "The recognition that NCQA bestowed on our company is the result of hard work by the HNE associates and by the great physicians who participate in our network."

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and manages the evolution of HEDIS®¹, the tool NCQA uses to measure and report on the performance of the nation’s health plans. For more information on NCQA, visit www.ncqa.org.

¹ HEDIS® is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).