NCQA certification programs are generally designed to help health plans and employers make informed decisions when choosing their business partners. Certification involves a voluntary review process and a nationally recognized evaluation that managed-care organizations and purchasers of health care use to assess physician organizations. NCQA evaluates clinical and administrative systems in order to improve health care for its members. An organization must meet rigorous standards to achieve NCQA certification.
"NCQA undertook a pilot project to evaluate a small number of Medical Groups in California," said Dr. J. Thomas Rosenthal, vice provost, UCLA Medical Group Affairs, and director, UCLA Medical Group. "UCLA Medical Group is now part of a small list of medical groups in the United States that have become NCQA-certified for credentialing."
NCQA surveys involve on- and off-site evaluations conducted by a team of physicians and managed-care experts. A national oversight committee of physicians analyzes the survey team's findings and determines certification based on the physician organization's performance compared to NCQA standards.
UCLA Medical Group is composed of more than 1,000 physicians who are clinical faculty members at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. They provide medical care at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and UCLA's Neuropsychiatric Hospital.
The NCQA is an independent, nonprofit organization that certifies physician organizations, and accredits managed-care organizations. For additional information about NCQA, go to www.ncqa.org. To view the complete list of medical groups and organizations that have received certification, click on "physician organization."