Ambulatory-care group seeks input on health plan standards

The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care seeks public comment through Oct. 20 on the association's 2013 Standards for Health Plan Accreditation.

The standards describe the qualities that the Skokie, Ill.-based AAAHC believes managed-care organizations must possess to be accredited. The managed-care community, medical specialty groups, regulatory agencies and others are invited to provide feedback as well as evidence-based information and examples that support their comments, according to an e-mailed news release.

The standards include chapters on member rights, responsibilities and privacy protections; governance and administration; provider network credentialing; case management and care coordination; risk management; quality performance measures; health education and wellness promotion; dental services and more.

The document's title page states that "there has been consolidation of the standards, the elimination of chapters, and rearrangement of standards in chapters and elimination of standards to more appropriately reflect the managed-care industry."