Tufts Health Plan
Tufts Health Plan is a Massachusetts-based health insurance company under Tufts Associated Health Plans, Inc. with headquarters in Watertown, Massachusetts.[1]
 | |
| Industry | Medical industry |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1979 |
| Headquarters | 705 Mt Auburn St Watertown, Massachusetts |
Area served | Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island |
Key people | Thomas A. Croswell (CEO) |
| Products | Health insurance |
Number of employees | 2,400 |
| Website | tuftshealthplan |
A nonprofit organization founded in 1979 by Morton Madoff., M.D., dean of Tufts University School of Medicine, Tufts Health Plan is nationally recognized for its commitment to providing innovative, high-quality health care coverage. The plan offers members and employers an array of health management programs, which support evidence-based approaches to health and wellness.
As of May 2019, the nonprofit health insurer had over 1 million members. The Tufts Health Plan network includes 110 hospitals and 51,000+ health care providers. The health plan offers products for employers, individuals enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid the Massachusetts Health Insurance Exchange, and individuals who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Tufts Health Plan is the only insurer in Massachusetts to cover everyone regardless of age or income.
On August 14, 2019, the boards of Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care announced plans for the two insurers to merge their organizations into a new company. The new, yet to be named company, will serve 2.4 million members in Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. The merger will require the approval of numerous federal and state regulators and the two companies will remain independent during the approval steps.[2]
History
Morton Madoff, M.D., of Tufts University Medical School, founded Tufts Associated Health Maintenance Organization, Inc. in 1979. The organization started offering plans in 1981, ending its first year with 3,000 members.
In 1994, Tufts Health Plan entered the Medicare market with Secure Horizons and utilized value-based contracts to achieve better health outcomes for members and better control costs.
In 1995, Tufts Health Plan launched its first PPO (preferred provider organization) plans. In 1996 Tufts Health Plan was ranked as a top HMO provider in the United States by Newsweek.[3]
In 2008, Tufts Health Plan created the Tufts Health Plan Foundation so the health plan's assets could help address long-standing health care issues in the local community. The foundation funds approximately $5 million annually in investments and grants to local non-profits.[4]
In 2009, Tufts Health Plan entered the Rhode Island market, offering employer-sponsored plans.
In 2011, Tufts Health Plan acquired Network Health, a Medicaid plan.[5]
In 2015, Tufts Health Plan acquired Integra Partners, a medical equipment and prosthetics management company backed by Peterson Partners.[6]
Also in 2015, Tufts Health Plan entered into a joint venture with Granite Health, a network of five health systems, creating Tufts Health Freedom Plan of New Hampshire.[7]
In 2017, Tufts Health Plan signed contracts to form Medicaid (MassHealth) Accountable Care Organization (ACO) partnerships with four provider organizations: Atrius Health, Beth Israel Deaconess Care Organization, Cambridge Health Alliance, and Boston Children's Accountable Care Organization. Also in 2017, Tufts Health Plan entered the Rhode Island Medicaid market.
In February 2018, Tufts Health Plan entered into a joint venture with Hartford HealthCare, creating CarePartners of Connecticut, which offers Medicare Advantage plans to eligible beneficiaries.[8]
Awards and Accolades
Since 1999, the NCQA (The National Committee for Quality Assurance), a nonprofit organization dedicated to measuring the quality of America's health care, has awarded Tufts Health Plan HMO and POS and Tufts Medicare Preferred, Excellent Accreditation - the highest possible achievement for consumer protection, quality improvement, and clinical effectiveness. Tufts Health Plan HMO POS and Medicare Preferred HMO have held the highest accreditation status available since 1996. Tufts Health Plan PPO was awarded Full Accreditation in 2006, the highest accreditation status available to Preferred Provider Organizations.
Based upon criteria measuring key areas of wellness and health promotion, Tufts Health Plan also became the first health plan in the Northeast – and one of only 20 organizations in the U.S. – to receive the Wellness & Health Promotion (WHP) Accreditation from the NCQA in 2013.[9]
References
- "Company Profile: Standardizing Quality Health Care | Tufts Health Plan". tuftshealthplan.com. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
- Staff, Writer (2019-08-14). "Tufts Health Plan, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care are combining". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
- "Does Your HMO Stack Up - Newsweek". Retrieved 2019-07-19.
- "Tufts Health Plan Fact Sheet". Retrieved 2019-07-19.
- Saia, Rick (2 November 2011). "Tufts Health Plan Acquires Network Health". WB Journal. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "Peterson Partners » Tufts Health Plan Acquires Peterson Partners-Backed Integra Partners". www.petersonpartners.com. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
- Health, Brian Wells, President, Tufts Health Freedom Plan, Rachel Rowe is the President and CEO, Granite. "Tufts Health Freedom Plan, Granite Health leaders: Why we teamed up for Tufts Health Freedom Plan in New Hampshire". www.beckershospitalreview.com. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
- Gosselin, Kenneth (28 February 2018). "Hartford HealthCare, Tufts Health Plan Join Forces To Create Insurance Company". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- "Our Quality Commitment, Tufts Health Plan". Retrieved 2019-07-19.