NCQA has awarded MDwise its Multicultural Health Care Distinction, which indicates the organization has met or exceeded rigorous standards in serving diverse populations and that it is providing culturally and linguistically sensitive services and working to reduce health care disparities.
MDwise is a health maintenance organization serving more than 410,000 Hoosiers in the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP), Hoosier Healthwise and Medicare Advantage. It is one of only two HMOs in Indiana to have earned the Multicultural Health Care Distinction from NCQA.
“Everyone should have an equal opportunity to live a healthy life which is why MDwise is committed to being culturally responsive and reducing health disparities across Indiana. It’s rewarding to be recognized by a national accrediting body for that work,” said Jessica Cromer, president and CEO of MDwise.
In choosing Multicultural Health Care Distinction recipients, NCQA evaluates how well an organization complies with standards for collecting race/ethnicity and language data, providing language assistance, responding to cultural differences, and providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services.
“The prevalence of racial and ethnic disparities has been a barrier to improving the quality of health care of many Americans for too long,” said NCQA President Margaret E. O’Kane. “Organizations achieving Multicultural Health Care Distinction are leaders in closing this gap, and NCQA commends them for their dedication.”