Regence Medicare Advantage plans earn strong 2021 Medicare Star Ratings from CMS

(NewMediaWire) – October 08, 2020 – Portland, OR – Regence is pleased to announce that nearly all its Medicare Advantage plan offerings received strong Star Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) based on care quality and performance. This means 95 percent of Regence members across the health plan’s four-state footprint – Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Utah – will be enrolled in a 2021 Medicare Advantage plan that earned at least 4 to 4.5 stars.

A measure of health plan quality, CMS Star Ratings* are based on more than 40 different performance indicators that evaluate care quality and member experience. These annual ratings, which range from 1 (low) to 5 (high), help educate Medicare Advantage consumers who are shopping for a plan, during the CMS Annual Election Period (Oct. 15 through Dec. 7) or when they become eligible for Medicare. CMS Star Ratings also provide data transparency and incentives to improve health outcomes and patient care quality. Achieving a rating of 4 stars or higher indicates that a health plan is performing above average compared to other health plans, as well as improving year-over-year in service to its members.

For six out of its seven Medicare Advantage PPO and HMO offerings in 2021, Regence earned 4 to 4.5 stars:

• Utah – PPO 4 Stars
• Washington – PPO 4 Stars, HMO 4 Stars
• Oregon – PPO 4.5 Stars, HMO 4.5 Stars
• Idaho – HMO 4.5 Stars; PPO 3.5 Stars

Each measure CMS uses for its Star Ratings aligns with one of five core areas: staying healthy with preventative screenings, managing chronic conditions, member experience, customer service, and drug safety and pricing accuracy.

Unique to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CMS carried forward some scores from last year for its latest star ratings, including HEDIS and CAHPS scores. Regence achieved high scores across all its health plans in critical areas like helping members manage chronic diabetes, receiving very few member complaints, and addressing the needs of potential Medicare beneficiaries contacting Regence call centers.

“Earning strong CMS Star Ratings for 2021 means our health plans are improving year-over-year in providing Regence Medicare Advantage members with high-quality, cost-effective coverage and benefits,” says Kathleen Faulk, Regence’s senior vice president and general manager of government programs. “While having 95% of our MA members enrolled next year in a plan with four stars or higher is a major achievement, we remain focused on continuing to improve how people experience health care this year, next year and beyond.”  

Moving forward Regence will continue to invest in and further improve member benefits for the future. For 2021, Regence expanded its Medicare benefits and coverage in Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington to support personal health and well-being with nutrition, social connection and other critical areas.

Those interested in learning more about Regence Medicare Advantage plan benefits and coverage can visit regence.com/go/shop. Regence Medicare plan advisors are also available by calling 1 (844) REGENCE (or 1 (844) 734-3623), 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pacific time during Medicare’s annual election period (Oct. 15 through Dec. 7); otherwise, plan advisors are available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

*Every year, Medicare evaluates plans based on a 5-star rating system.

About Regence 

Regence serves approximately 3.1 million members through its Regence health plans in Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington. Each Regence health plan is a nonprofit independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Regence is part of a family of companies dedicated to transforming health care by delivering innovative products and services that change the way consumers nationwide experience health care. For more information, please visit regence.com.