Centene’s focus on removing barriers and expanding access for the vulnerable populations we serve is fundamental to the care we provide. We are proud to receive the Innovation Award for Health Equity by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality.

The award recognizes Centene’s data-driven Health Equity Improvement Model for being a leading-edge strategy for improving equity and quality through innovative and creative solutions.

Centene’s four-step Health Equity Improvement Model features a public health framework that integrates quantitative and qualitative data to help identify barriers and design initiatives across community, member, and provider levels. The model was successfully implemented in multiple markets across Centene, resulting in reductions in Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) disparities, including:

• Improved colorectal cancer screening rates for American Indian/Alaska Native members with Arizona Complete Health.
• Improved rates of immunizations for Latino child members with Nevada’s SilverSummit Health Plan.
• Enhanced maternal health outcomes among African American and Black members with California’s Health Net.

NCQA's HEDIS is the most widely used performance measurement tool in healthcare.

“Advancing health equity has a real and positive impact on the health of our members across the country,” said Sarah Bezeredi, Centene Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer. “We are honored to have Centene recognized for implementing these leading strategies that continue to improve the value of our high-quality, affordable care, and we remain committed to addressing these challenges for all our members and communities.”

Rooted in Centene’s purpose to transform the health of our local communities, the Health Equity model is focused on community engagement and leverages the voices of community coalitions to align strategies throughout the process. The data-driven approach uses community feedback and trusted messengers to design initiatives to improve member lives and promote health equity across the U.S.

“By using a data-driven process, we are identifying disparity reduction opportunities and tracking performance and success year-over-year. This informs our efforts and strategies for creating community-specific training, outreach, and social determinants of health integration interventions so we can serve our communities, members, and providers with the highest quality of equitable care,” said Bezeredi.

Given the success of the model, Centene plans to implement its Health Equity Improvement Model across the enterprise.