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Children's Medical Services Achieves Major Milestone with National Accreditation

By Florida Department of Health, Office of Communications

September 24, 2015

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Sept. 24, 2015

CHILDREN'S MEDICAL SERVICES ACHIEVES MAJOR MILESTONE WITH NATIONAL ACCREDITATION

 

Contact:
Communications Office
NewsMedia@flhealth.gov
(850) 245-4111

Tallahassee, Fla.—The Florida Department of Health is excited to announce that the Children's Medical Services Managed Care Plan designed to ensure children with special health care needs receive patient-centered, high-quality health care has earned full, national accreditation. The department achieved the milestone by demonstrating its substantial compliance with the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Inc. standards. The department's accreditation is active for a three-year term.

“This accreditation further demonstrates the department’s ability to operate a managed care plan that ensures access to quality medical care for the more than 66,000 children with special health care needs served by the CMS Managed Care Plan,” said Deputy State Health Officer for Children's Medical Services Dr. Celeste Philip. “I deeply appreciate the diligent efforts of my colleagues at the department, and our community partners, to make this accreditation a reality for the children, families and communities who benefit from these needed services.”

The Children’s Medical Services Managed Care Plan now joins nine of the other 18 Florida Medicaid Managed Medical Assistance health plans, including Amerigroup, Clear Health Alliance and Prestige, to obtain accreditation from AAAHC.  The nine other managed care plans are accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

Secretary Elizabeth Dudek said, “Under the Managed Medical Assistance (MMA) program, for the first time, all of the plans have received a national accreditation. This means that Medicaid recipients enrolled in our programs are receiving the highest quality of care in the history of the Florida Medicaid program.”

This accreditation comes shortly after the announcement of the creation of a Children’s Medical Services Managed Care Plan Advisory Panel assembled to assist with the continuing transition from a direct service provider network to a managed care plan. The team of experts on the panel will recommend best practices for administration of the plan, including long-range planning, quality improvement initiatives, and health education and wellness. The panel will also work with the department to develop public, member and provider education and outreach to assist with the shift from a direct service network to a high quality, patient-centered managed care plan for children with special health care needs.

This accreditation and formation of the panel continue to reinforce the fact that Children’s Medical Services staff is committed to serving Florida’s most vulnerable population.

About the Florida Department of Health

The department works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

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