March 15, 2005

The Michigan Department of Community Health is releasing the 2005 Consumer Guide entitled, “A Guide to Michigan Medicaid Health Plans - Quality Check-Up.”

“I am pleased that we can offer this guide in support of quality care in Michigan,” said Janet Olszewski, Director of the Michigan Department of Community Health. “This guide also supports our Department’s initiatives to provide consumers, policymakers and other stakeholders with information about the quality of care and services provided to Medicaid managed care enrollees."

This guide was developed by MDCH in collaboration with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Information from the 15 contracted health plans was used for the guide, which includes five major categories of comparative information, as well as accreditation information.

The categories included are:

• Doctor Communication and Service-Adult and child survey scores on how well doctors communicate, and the help and services offered by office staff;
• Getting Care-This ranking was based on ability to get needed care, accessing care quickly, and access to the primary care physician;
• Keeping Kids Healthy-Includes youth immunization status, well-child visit status up to six years of age, and interaction with the parent(s) about their child’s health;
• Taking Care of Women-Includes five female-specific clinical measures, such as prenatal care and breast cancer screening; and
• Living with Illness-This ranking looked at care provided to people with chronic illnesses, such as high blood pressure, asthma and diabetes.

This comparison guide of all Medicaid health plans can be used by beneficiaries to help them choose a health plan in their county that will best meet their needs.

As in previous years, the Guide will be distributed to new Medicaid enrollees statewide, and will be available on the MDCH website at www.michigan.gov/mdch. Click on Health Care Coverage, then Medicaid, and then scroll down to 2005 Health Plans Quality Check-Up. For more information, please call 1-888-ENROLLS (1-888-367-6557).