December 5, 2022 — AmeriHealth Caritas Florida, a Medicaid managed care plan serving seven Florida counties, is proud to announce it has earned the Multicultural Health Care Distinction from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The award acknowledges excellence in providing services to meet the diverse cultural and linguistic needs of a health plan’s members, and its work to help address health disparities. AmeriHealth Caritas Florida received top marks across the survey.
AmeriHealth Caritas Florida is one of eight AmeriHealth Caritas Medicaid managed care health plans to hold the Multicultural Health Care Distinction. The health plan offers numerous services to meet the diverse needs of its membership, including:
- Targeted programs and interventions to address identified health disparities
- Bilingual staff
- Cultural Responsiveness training for providers
- Cultural Competency training for associates
- Interpretation and translation language services
- Written materials in members’ preferred language
“Receiving the Multicultural Health Care Distinction for AmeriHealth Caritas Florida underscores our commitment to health equity and addressing the social determinates of health with a high degree of cultural awareness and sensitivity,” said AmeriHealth Caritas Florida Market President Kathy Warner. “Through this important work, we help to provide better health care access to all.”
AmeriHealth Caritas Florida proudly serves a diverse membership of nearly 120,000 across Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, and Palm Beach, St. Lucie, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. In Miami-Dade County alone, Hispanics and Latinos account for almost 70% of its 2.66 million residents.[i]
Across AmeriHealth Caritas Florida’s total membership in 2021, 44% identified as Black or African American and nearly 30% identified as Hispanic. After English, Spanish and Haitian Creole are the two languages most spoken by AmeriHealth Caritas Florida members.
NCQA awards distinction to organizations that meet or exceed its rigorous requirements for multicultural health care. NCQA evaluates how well an organization complies with standards for the following areas:
- Collection of race, ethnicity and language data
- Provision of language assistance
- Cultural responsiveness
- Quality improvement of culturally and linguistically appropriate services
- Reduction of health care disparities
“Earning Multicultural Health Care Distinction shows that an organization is making a breakthrough in providing excellent health care to diverse populations. I congratulate any organization that achieves this level of distinction,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “Eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health care is essential to improving the quality of care overall.”
About AmeriHealth Caritas Florida
AmeriHealth Caritas Florida operates as a Medicaid managed care plan through Florida’s Statewide Medicaid Managed Care program, serving enrollees living in Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties. AmeriHealth Caritas Florida’s strength lies in its ability to foster collaboration among network providers to facilitate optimal health outcomes for members. For more information, visit www.amerihealthcaritasfl.com.
About AmeriHealth Caritas
AmeriHealth Caritas is one of the nation’s leaders in health care solutions for those most in need. Operating in 12 states and the District of Columbia, AmeriHealth Caritas serves approximately 5 million Medicaid, Medicare, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Health Insurance Marketplace® members through its integrated managed care products, pharmaceutical benefit management and specialty pharmacy services, and behavioral health services. Headquartered in Pennsylvania, AmeriHealth Caritas is a mission-driven organization with nearly 40 years of experience serving low-income and chronically ill populations. For more information, visit www.amerihealthcaritas.com.
About the National Committee for Quality Assurance (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.
