URAC Recognizes TriWest with National Awards

PHOENIX, Oct. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Two innovative programs from TriWest Healthcare Alliance aimed at protecting and empowering their military customers' overall health won national awards Wednesday night from URAC, one of America's leading healthcare accreditation and certification organizations.

URAC named winners of the 2011 Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection as part of its 2011 Quality Summit and Award Program, held in Chicago, Ill.

TriWest won a Silver and Bronze award for two programs that help its military families:

• Silver Award: TRICARE Assistance Program—Connects military members and dependents with 24/7 access to online behavioral healthcare access, including Web-based video-conferencing and chat.
• Bronze Award: Tobacco Cessation—Helps beneficiaries cope with tobacco addiction through classes offered over the phone.

TriWest is a Phoenix-based company that administers the Department of Defense's TRICARE healthcare plan for 2.9 million military members, retirees and families across 21 western states.

"This is an incredible honor to have both of these programs recognized by URAC as industry best practices. Everything we do is in support of our mission to provide the best service to our customers, who sacrifice a great deal to safeguard our freedoms," said TriWest President and CEO David J. McIntyre, Jr. "These two programs, developed in partnership with the Department of Defense, exemplify that mission and we're proud to provide them to our military members, retirees and families that we humbly serve."

A 20-member panel of experts selected winners in the categories of consumer decision-making and consumer health improvement. They chose from dozens of nationwide nominations.

"Our Best Practices awards program is a unique celebration of innovative healthcare management programs," said Alan P. Spielman, President and CEO of URAC. "This year's winners are recognized for their leadership in delivering on the promise of a quality healthcare system that puts consumers first."

About URAC

URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, is well-known as a leader in promoting healthcare quality through its accreditation and certification programs. URAC offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and services that keep pace with the rapid changes in the healthcare system, and provide a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and accountability. Through its broad-based governance structure and an inclusive standards development process, URAC strives to ensure that all stakeholders are represented in establishing meaningful quality measures for the entire healthcare industry. For more information, visit www.urac.org.

About TriWest

TriWest Healthcare Alliance partners with the Department of Defense to do "Whatever It Takes" to support the healthcare needs of 2.9 million members of America's military family. A Phoenix-based corporation, TriWest provides access to cost-effective, high-quality health care in the 21-state TRICARE West Region. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook or visit www.triwest.com for more information.

SOURCE TriWest Healthcare Alliance