Blue Shield of California has earned a health equity accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, recognizing its efforts in this space.
To earn the accreditation, a plan needs to establish an operational foundation for health equity programs. This includes collecting the data necessary to identify disparities, providing culturally competent care across multiple languages and finding areas to address equity challenges.
The accreditation applies across all of Blue Shield's lines of business, including its Promise Health Plan for Medi-Cal enrollees. The company was acknowledged across 21 categories, according to an announcement from the insurer.
The NCQA has recognized Blue Shield for the past three years for equity initiatives in its commercial plans.
Ravi Kavasery, M.D., chief medical officer for Blue Shield of California, told Fierce Healthcare in an interview that the recognition validates the effort the team has put into its health equity efforts.
"For me, the reason that's really important is it just signifies, foundationally, that we have the right organizational culture and operations to support what's needed to advance health equity," Kavasery said.
An example of a program that Blue Shield has rolled out is a partnership with the L.A. Care Health Plan to operate community resource centers in the Los Angeles area, which offer a variety of free services, he said. This can range from food distribution and nutrition programs to vaccine workshops.
Kavasery said the centers have provided more than 10,000 vaccines over the past five years.
Blue Shield also has a GED program, where people can register online to receive the materials to take the test as well as support in finding a job and long-term career planning, he said.
Kavasery said that while the recognition is a clear sign that the team is on the right track, it's very much a foundational step and not an end point.
"It's definitely not for the faint of heart, the kind of work that is hard and requires a solid investment to drive progress, and we're committed to that in Blue Shield of California," he said.