How does HealthGrades help employers and health plans?
Employers and health plans are increasingly looking to provide quality information to their employees and members as part of the new
consumer driven health plans that are designed to help offset double-digit increases in healthcare costs. HealthGrades offers the tools to
both reduce costs and improve quality, which work hand-in-hand.
HealthGrades has online and print products for companies to efficiently and effectively disseminate our quality information and Leapfrog
Group patient safety information to employees. We have the industry's most comprehensive, accurate and complete database of
healthcare providers in the nation. HealthGrades licenses access to this data so that individuals can evaluate and select providers based
on quality, empowering them to make better-informed healthcare choices.
HealthGrades also provides quality data to health plans for use in setting up their provider networks and for determining reimbursement.
How does HealthGrades help the insurance underwriting industry?
HealthGrades' Professional Report Services provides comprehensive quality information that automates costly and labor-intensive
underwriting administration. Insurance companies and brokers can access reliable, unique information on nursing homes, hospitals, and
physicians. HealthGrades' reports help companies manage information more effectively for lower costs and improve risk selection.
Where does HealthGrades get its information?
HealthGrades compiles data from more than 70 independent private and public sources, including the Center for Medicare and Medicaid
Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 18 states' records, 48 states' medical board records, the National
Cancer Institute and publicly available directories and telephone surveys.
How often is HealthGrades' information updated?
The nursing home data is updated monthly; the hospital and home health data is updated annually; the physician data is updated
quarterly; and all other data is reviewed annually, at a minimum.
Is there a conflict of interest by licensing your ratings to providers?
No. Once the HealthGrades' ratings are finalized, they are forwarded to Grant Thornton LLP for safekeeping. The ratings are then posted
on the site,
www.healthgrades.com
. It is only after this process is completed that HealthGrades forms alliances with healthcare providers
and licenses their ratings, data and advisory services to:
1)
Help top-ranking providers promote their quality services
2)
Help providers assess their current level of care and identify areas of improvement.
What are the areas of expertise of HealthGrades' Management Team?
HealthGrades has a highly qualified management team with extensive knowledge and understanding of the healthcare industry.
Members of the management team have worked in the healthcare industry for more than 15 years on average. Most of the core team
members have substantial experience in health information, quality improvement and business development; and they helped develop
the HealthGrades' proprietary rating system. Additionally, Kerry Hicks, CEO, was recognized as the 2000 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of
the Year in the e-business category for the Rocky Mountain Region.
Where has HealthGrades been acknowledged?
HealthGrades has received numerous prestigious awards for its business model and proprietary content, including The Kelsey Group's
Local Internet Service Award (LISA) for the Best Listings-Based Application of 2000 and the 1999 eHealthcare World Insight Platinum
Award, recognizing excellence in healthcare Web site design and development.
HealthGrades has been recognized as one of the top health Web sites by numerous publications, including:
·
Access (June 2000), SmartMoney (July 2000)
·
Yahoo! Internet Life (December 2000 and July 2001)
·
Forbes Best of the Web (June 2000)
·
Newsweek (June 2001),
·
HealthLeaders (February 2003)
·
AARP The Magazine (May/June 2003).
Additionally, HealthGrades' health plan ratings were published in conjunction with Newsweek's "Ranking the Biggest HMOs: How HMOs
Measure Up" (November 8, 1999), and the company's hospital ratings were featured on the Today Show (September 2002).
