Centene Corporation to Promote Physician Participation in National Back Pain Recognition Program
January 29 2008 - 6:00AM
Business Wire
Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) today announced an initiative to
promote provider participation in the national Back Pain
Recognition Program (BPRP) developed by the National Committee for
Quality Assurance (NCQA). The BPRP was launched in January 2007 to
recognize healthcare providers who deliver top-quality care to
patients with low back pain. One in nine Americans suffer from back
pain each year; related treatment costs total approximately $91
billion annually. Centene and its health plans will support its
network physicians in participating in the BPRP through data
collection assistance and financial support with application fees.
In the second quarter of 2008, the company and NCQA will host
workshops to provide hands-on assistance to physicians in each of
the markets in which Centene operates health plans. Centene will
highlight the physicians recognized in the program in press
releases, as well as in marketing materials such as its physician
newsletters and health plan websites. �Centene knows that strong
partnerships with physicians are key to providing top-quality care
for our members,� said Mary Mason, M.D., Senior Vice President and
Chief Medical Officer for Centene. �We are providing both
administrative and financial support to encourage our network
physicians to participate in a program that we believe will
effectively promote guidance and standards for back pain care for
our members.� ��Do no harm� is a bedrock principle of medicine,�
said NCQA President Margaret E. O�Kane. �But needless tests and
procedures that provide no real benefit to the patient do nothing
but harm. There�s a strong desire for guidance on what represents
top-quality care, and that�s what the BPRP represents. Centene�s
support for this program is laudable, and I hope even more plans
follow suit.� For more information about the BPRP, including
complete application materials and the BPRP data collection tool
for physicians wishing to apply for the program, visit NCQA�s
website at www.ncqa.org. About Centene Corporation Centene
Corporation is a leading multi-line healthcare enterprise that
provides programs and related services to individuals receiving
benefits under Medicaid, including the State Children�s Health
Insurance Program (SCHIP) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
The Company operates health plans in Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, New
Jersey, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. In addition, the
Company contracts with other healthcare and commercial
organizations to provide specialty services including behavioral
health, life and health management, long-term care, managed vision,
nurse triage, pharmacy benefits management and treatment
compliance. Information regarding Centene is available via the
Internet at www.centene.com. About NCQA NCQA is a private,
non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality.
NCQA is the nation�s leading developer of health care evaluation
tools, including health plan accreditation, physician recognition
and organization certification. NCQA also is responsible for the
evolution of HEDIS�, the nation�s most widely used set of health
care performance measures. NCQA is committed to providing health
care quality information through the Web, media and data licensing
agreements in order to help consumers, employers and others make
more informed health choices. For more information, visit
www.ncqa.org.
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