Centene's Kansas Subsidiary Awarded Accreditation From NCQA

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Jun 18, 2014, 08:30 ET

ST. LOUIS, June 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) has announced that its wholly owned Kansas subsidiary, Sunflower Health Plan, has received Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). NCQA Health Plan Accreditation evaluates how well a health plan manages all parts of its delivery system – physicians, hospitals, other providers and administrative services – in order to continuously improve the quality of care and services provided to its members.

"Receiving NCQA Accreditation is a testament to our commitment to high-quality care coordination that leads to better health outcomes for Kansans," said Dr. Michael D. McKinney, Plan President and CEO of Sunflower Health Plan. "We are honored to be presented the certificate of Accreditation from NCQA, as the process allowed the Sunflower team of 300 employees to identify performance improvement opportunities as well as build and strengthen relationships with the communities we serve."

"Our quality improvement processes do not stop with this certificate of Accreditation," said Dr. McKinney. "Becoming accredited is a significant milestone in our work to continually encourage and promote quality and performance improvement across services, especially those impacting the health of our members."

Sunflower Health Plan provides care coordination for more than 145,000 Medicaid beneficiaries in Kansas. With a comprehensive provider network, Sunflower began serving members in the state's KanCare program on January 1, 2013. The Sunflower network currently includes 153 hospitals, over 2,738 primary care providers, 3,831 specialists, 406 dental service providers and 2,534 behavioral health providers.

"Health plans that step forward to participate in NCQA's Health Plan Accreditation program early on in their history are to be especially commended," said Margaret E. O'Kane, President, NCQA. "Our standards are rigorous, and by meeting them, Sunflower has shown that it is well designed and serious about the quality of care it provides."

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information for consumers, purchasers, health care providers and researchers.

About Centene Corporation

Centene Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, is a leading multi-line healthcare enterprise that provides programs and services to government sponsored healthcare programs, focusing on under-insured and uninsured individuals. Many receive benefits provided under Medicaid, including the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), as well as Aged, Blind or Disabled (ABD), Foster Care and Long Term Care (LTC), in addition to other state-sponsored/hybrid programs, and Medicare (Special Needs Plans). The company operates local health plans and offers a range of health insurance solutions. It also contracts with other healthcare and commercial organizations to provide specialty services including behavioral health, care management software, correctional systems healthcare, in-home health services, life and health management, managed vision, pharmacy benefits management, specialty pharmacy and telehealth services.

SOURCE Centene Corporation