NEW YORK and TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) today announced that the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has awarded an accreditation status of Commendable to its Medicaid health plans in New York. WellCare also received an Accredited designation for its Medicare Advantage plan in the state.

NCQA accreditation evaluates the quality of health care that health plans provide to their members. It is a nationally recognized evaluation that consumers can use to assess health plans. To earn accreditation, NCQA evaluates how well a health plan manages all parts of its delivery system, which covers physicians, hospitals, other providers and administrative services. NCQA accreditation provides consumers with an unprecedented ability to evaluate the quality of different health plans along a variety of important criteria and to make their health plan decisions based on demonstrated value rather than simply on cost.

"Achieving an Accreditation status from NCQA is a sign that a health plan is serious about quality," said Margaret E. O'Kane, president, NCQA. "It is awarded to plans whose service and clinical quality meet or exceed NCQA's rigorous requirements for consumer protection and quality improvement."

"These accreditation results are a reflection of WellCare of New York's commitment to raising the quality of the care and services we provide our members," said Dr. Jerry Frank, medical director for WellCare of New York. "This achievement was made possible through the dedicated efforts of our associates, our partnerships with high-performing physicians and hospitals, and by working directly with members to ensure they have access to the right care, at the right time, in the right setting."

Consumers can easily access NCQA statuses and other information about health care quality on NCQA's website at www.ncqa.org, or by calling NCQA customer support at (888) 275-7585.

As of Sept. 30, 2016, WellCare of New York serves approximately 233,000 members in New York, including 126,000 Medicaid members, 43,000 Medicare Advantage plan members and 56,000 Medicare Prescription Drug Plan members.

About NCQA
NCQA is a private, non-profit 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 is committed to providing health care quality information for consumers, purchasers, health care providers and researchers.

About WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) focuses exclusively on providing government-sponsored managed care services, primarily through Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, to families, children, seniors and individuals with complex medical needs. WellCare serves approximately 3.8 million members nationwide as of Sept. 30, 2016. For more information about WellCare, please visit the company's website at www.wellcare.com or view the company's videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/WellCareHealthPlan.

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SOURCE WellCare Health Plans, Inc.