By KHI News Service

TOPEKA — Officials at Sunflower Health Plan announced today that the company’s KanCare health plan had received accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

The accrediting group evaluates how well a health plan manages its service delivery system, including physicians, hospitals, other providers and administrative services.

Officials with the state’s two other lead KanCare contractors, Amerigroup and UnitedHealthcare, said their health plans already were accredited by NCQA.

KanCare is the name given the state’s Medicaid and CHIP programs after Gov. Sam Brownback shifted most of their day-to-day management to the three insurance companies.

“Receiving NCQA accreditation is a testament to our commitment to high-quality care coordination that leads to better health outcomes for Kansans,” said Dr. Michael McKinney, chief executive of Sunflower Health Plan, in a prepared statement. “The process allowed the Sunflower team of 300 employees to identify performance improvement opportunities as well as build and strengthen relationships with the communities we serve.”

Sunflower Health Plan coordinates care for more than 145,000 Kansas Medicaid beneficiaries.

Company officials said its service network now includes 153 hospitals, more than 2,700 primary care providers and more than 3,800 specialists. It also has more than 400 dental and more than 2,500 behavioral health providers.

Margaret E. O’Kane, president of NCQA, described the group’s standards as “rigorous.”

NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization that works to improve health care quality. It certifies a wide range of health care organizations.