Maven Clinic Becomes First in Women's and Family Health to Earn NCQA Health Equity Accreditation

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Dec 12, 2024, 09:00 ET

Leading healthcare quality assurance entity recognizes Maven for its commitment to delivering equitable care and improving health outcomes for all members

NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Maven Clinic, the world's largest virtual clinic for women's and family health, today announced the company has earned Health Equity Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. Maven is the first women's and family health organization to achieve Health Equity Accreditation, validating that care on the company's platform aligns with the highest benchmarks in healthcare.

Maven's Health Equity Accreditation comes at a time when providing high-quality, equitable care is more critical than ever. The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate of any high-income nation, with Black women three times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. Studies show that health inequities cost the U.S. healthcare system $320 billion annually and could exceed $1 trillion by 2040, making health equity a key priority for employers and health plans.

"At Maven, we believe health equity is operational, not only aspirational," said Dr. Neel Shah, Chief Medical Officer of Maven Clinic. "This accreditation is a resounding validation of Maven's ability to deliver equitable outcomes at scale using digital technology."

Recognized as the industry gold standard for validating health care quality, NCQA's Health Equity Accreditation evaluates how well an organization complies with standards in the following areas: organizational readiness; race/ethnicity, language, gender identity and sexual orientation; access and availability of language services; practitioner network cultural responsiveness; culturally and linguistically appropriate services programs; and reducing health care disparities. Through the course of an 18-month evaluation and alignment of Maven's operational capacity to deliver equitable care, Maven established the following programs and systems to ensure members worldwide receive high-quality support:

Developed Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Program to initiate quality improvement interventions: Maven's CLAS program encompasses all 15 actions outlined by HHS to advance health equity, improve quality, and help eliminate health care disparities, with a focus on investing in data collection and analysis. While only 25% of commercial plans reported having race data for most of their members, 84% of Maven members self-report race data, enabling Maven to provide more personalized care. Maven also collects data on its providers with the goal of ensuring its network has the capacity and the lived experience to effectively support members. 40% of Maven practitioners identify as Latine, Black/African American, Asian, Middle Eastern, or Multi-Racial; 11% identify as LGBTQIA+.
Established Community Advisory Board (CAB) to inform clinical model: In early 2024, Maven established the CAB, a group of Maven providers, members, and leaders of community-based maternal health organizations, to inform its clinical and care delivery strategies and ensure the company is meeting the needs of underserved populations. Within its first year, Maven has leveraged the collective expertise and lived experience of the CAB to enrich the experience of virtual doulas on Maven's platform and hone the positioning of its care matching offering.
Expanded culturally appropriate resources and support for frontline teams: Maven regularly assesses its providers to ensure they can identify and address language and cultural barriers that may interfere with member communication. This includes a robust provider onboarding survey to gather insights into the network's demographics and a bi-annual analysis of the network's capacity to meet members' diverse needs. Maven has also developed a Culturally Responsive Survey, distributed annually, to evaluate providers' attitudes and abilities in serving members from different cultures, with a focus on race-ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and language preferences.
Invested in language access services for personalized care: To ensure members receive linguistically appropriate care, Maven collects and analyzes language preferences during member onboarding. Maven has developed resources in members' top languages, including Spanish, Hindi, Mandarin, French, and Portuguese, while also supporting those with limited English proficiency. Serving members in more than 175 countries, Maven offers care in over 35 languages, ensuring accessible, inclusive support globally.

"Aligning Maven's clinical model to NCQA's Health Equity Accreditation allows us to ensure that all Maven members receive the care they need and deserve," said Dr. Dawn Godbolt, Director of Health Equity at Maven. "It was important to us to build a model that has been validated against the highest of quality standards."

"The prevalence of racial and ethnic disparities has been a barrier to improving the quality of health care of many Americans for too long," said NCQA President Margaret E. O'Kane. "Organizations achieving Health Equity Accreditation are leaders in closing this gap, and NCQA commends them for their dedication."

Since 2014, Maven's virtual care model has provided personalized support tailored to the diverse needs of women and families worldwide that improves health outcomes for its members, while reducing costs for employers and health plans. Members have access to a diverse provider network with 30+ specialist types, personalized care plans, and on-demand virtual care within an hour. Members in Maven Maternity & Newborn care see up to 20% reduction in C-section rates and up to 28% decrease in NICU admission.

About Maven Clinic
Maven is the world's largest virtual clinic for women and families on a mission to make healthcare work for all of us. Maven's award-winning digital programs provide clinical, emotional, and financial support all in one platform, spanning fertility & family building, maternity & newborn care, parenting & pediatrics, and menopause & midlife. More than 2,000 employers and health plans trust Maven's end-to-end platform to improve clinical outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and provide equity in benefits programs. Recognized for innovation and industry leadership, Maven has been named to the Time 100 Most Influential Companies, CNBC Disruptor 50, Fast Company Most Innovative Companies, and FORTUNE Best Places to Work. Founded in 2014 by CEO Kate Ryder, Maven has raised more than $425 million in funding from top healthcare and technology investors including General Catalyst, Sequoia, Dragoneer Investment Group, Oak HC/FT, StepStone Group, Icon Ventures, and Lux Capital. To learn more about Maven, visit us at mavenclinic.com.

About NCQA
NCQA is a private, nonprofit 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's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA's website (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more-informed health care choices. NCQA can be found online at ncqa.org, on Twitter @ncqa, on Facebook at facebook.com/NCQA.org/ and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/ncqa.

SOURCE Maven Clinic