Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois has recently awarded Access Community Health Network (ACCESS) the highest rating for colorectal cancer screening. Along with this latest milestone in colorectal cancer screening, ACCESS had previously earned seven additional Blue Stars in vital areas that gravely affect community members. The additional stars were awarded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois-based on its latest quality audits—in the areas of diabetes, asthma care, childhood immunizations, blood pressure control, cardiovascular management, breast cancer screening and mental health follow-up.
ACCESS, which is the nation's largest network of community health centers with 51 locations throughout the Chicagoland area, is committed to creating a "medical home" that offers seamless continuity of care for its patients.
"We are pleased that communities and families will see these results as they make decisions about where they go for health care," said Jeni Fabian, Director of Quality and Performance Improvement. "We are committed to continually improving the quality of care that we provide to patients and to holding ourselves to the highest standards of the industry."
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois Blue Stars provide evidence of why ACCESS is the ambulatory provider of choice in communities it serves in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.
"The Blue Stars recognize the quality work that we have done for our Blue Cross and Blue Shield patients," said Deputy Medical Officer Hugo Alvarez, M.D. "But we provide the same quality of care for all of our patients, whether they are Blue Cross and Blue Shield, or from other HMOs or insurance companies, or whether they are uninsured. We provide the same level of care for everyone-that's our mission and that's the true mission of medicine and health care."
Access Community Health Network is comprised of more than 50 Joint Commission-accredited community health centers throughout Chicago and surrounding suburbs. It provides high quality, cost-effective, safe, comprehensive primary, specialty and preventive health care to more than 215,000 individual patients annually, one-third of whom are uninsured. Visit the Web site at accesscommunityhealth.net.
For more information about ACCESS health centers, please call Elaine Hegwood Bowen, Media Relations Specialist, at 312.526.2086; email: elaine.hegwoodbowen@accesscommunityhealth.net or call the toll-free number at 1.866.882.2237.