LAWRENCE – Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley and North Shore is proud to have received National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Accreditation.
ESMV-NS has received the Case Management for Long Term Services and Supports (CM-LTSS) Accreditation from NCQA for our Home Care Program. NCQA awards the status of Accredited–3 years to organizations that demonstrate strong performance of the functions outlined in the standards for Case Management accreditation.
“Our Quality Team worked to prepare for NCQA Accreditation over the last 24 months. Because of this enormous effort, we achieved a high score that equated to a three-year accreditation status,” said Joan Hatem-Roy, CEO for ESMV-NS. “The accreditation process has provided our organization with a framework that guides our quality improvement efforts and allows us to provide the highest quality service to the consumers we serve.”
Our state funded Home Care program is one of the agency’s largest programs and serves an average of 4,300 consumers monthly. This program supports older adults whose goal is to remain in a community setting, living as independently as possible.
Elder Services is one of a few organizations in Massachusetts with the CM-LTSS Accreditation. For consumers, the benefits of accreditation are a focus on person-centered services; reduction of errors and duplicated services; and improved communication and integration between individuals, caregivers, payer and providers.
NCQA Accreditation standards are developed with input from researchers in the field, the Case Management Expert Panel and standing committees, employers, both purchasers and operators of Case Management programs, state and federal regulators and other experts.
NCQA Accreditation standards are purposely set high to encourage organizations to continuously enhance their quality. The standards are intended to help organizations achieve the highest level of performance possible and create an environment of continuous improvement.
“Case Management Accreditation moves us closer to measuring quality across population health management initiatives,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “Not only does it add value to existing quality improvement efforts; it also demonstrates an organization’s commitment to the highest degree of improving the quality of their patients’ care.”
Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley and North Shore is a private, nonprofit agency with a mission to ensure the health, safety and independence of older adults and persons with disabilities. We are a federally designated Area Agency on Aging and a state designated Aging Service Access Point and Protective Service Agency serving 28 cities and towns in northeastern Massachusetts. Learn more at www.esmv.org
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
