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Community Corner

Network Health Appoints Director of Quality Management

MEDFORD, Mass. — Network Health, a nonprofit health plan that provides access to high-quality, comprehensive health care coverage for more than 215,000 Massachusetts residents, announced today that it has appointed Bolton, Mass., resident Helen Kotilainen to director of quality management.

Kotilainen will direct all program management activities for Network Health’s quality department and oversee all projects for various national quality programs. She will also serve as the health plan’s quality officer, overseeing the ongoing development of plan-wide quality improvement initiatives.

“Helen is a seasoned professional who will add incredible value to our quality management team and to Network Health as a whole,” said Mary Jane McKendry, vice president of clinical affairs. “Her strong background in quality improvement and health care performance, combined with her passion for patient satisfaction, will help ensure that our members receive the highest level of service possible at all times.”

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Kotilainen has more than 20 years’ experience in the health care industry. Prior to joining Network Health, she served as director of quality and data integration at Central Massachusetts Independent Physician Association in Worcester, Mass. She has also served as director of quality services at Lawrence General Hospital in Lawrence, Mass., director of quality improvement at Great Brook Valley Health Center in Worcester, Mass., and quality improvement coordinator for the patient care assessment department of Emerson Hospital in Concord, Mass.

Kotilainen earned a master’s degree in microbiology from Clark University and a bachelor’s degree in life science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, both in Worcester, Mass. She is certified as a medical technologist by the American Society for Clinical Pathology, as a clinical laboratory scientist by the National Certification Agency for Medical Laboratory Personnel, and in infection control. Kotilainen has published on a variety of topics relating to quality improvement, and has been an instructor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Northeastern University, and Worcester State and Assumption Colleges.

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About Network Health

Since 1997, Network Health has provided access to high-quality health care for Massachusetts residents with low and moderate incomes. Network Health is a nonprofit, comprehensive health plan serving members through Network Health Together® (MassHealth), Network Health Forward® (Commonwealth Care), Network Health Extend™ (Medical Security Program), and Network Health Choice (an individual and small-group plan).

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To improve the health and wellness of its more than 215,000 members and the diverse communities it serves, Network Health offers fully integrated, in-house care management, providing a team of medical, behavioral health, social care, and pharmacy professionals who coordinate member care. Network Health partners with more than 20,000 primary care providers, specialists, hospitals, and community organizations statewide.

Network Health earned the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA) “Excellent” Health Plan Accreditation status, NCQA’s highest accreditation rating, for its Network Health Together plan. In 2012, NCQA’s Health Insurance Plan Rankings ranked Network Health as the third-highest Medicaid health plan in the United States. Since 2010, Network Health has ranked among the top 10 Medicaid health plans nationally, according to NCQA’s Health Insurance Plan Rankings — Medicaid.

Network Health is among 10 health plans nationally and the first health plan in New England to earn the NCQA Multicultural Health Care Distinction. Additionally, Network Health is nationally recognized for its innovative programs; it won the Dorland Health Case In Point Platinum Award for “Best Social Care Management Program” in 2013, “Best Integrated Case Management Program” in 2012, and “Best Overall Case/Care Management Program” in 2010. Network Health is also recognized for its top leadership team among health plans nationwide by HealthLeaders Media.

Network Health became a subsidiary of Tufts Health Plan in 2011. Tufts Health Plan is a nonprofit organization nationally recognized for its commitment to providing innovative, high-quality health care coverage to its more than 999,000 members. For 2012 – 2013, its HMO and POS programs are ranked second in the nation according to NCQA’s Health Insurance Plan Rankings — Private, and its Medicare Preferred HMO received a 4.5-star rating from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for 2013. With headquarters in Massachusetts, Tufts Health Plan also serves members in Rhode Island. For more information, visit www.tuftshealthplan.com.

For more information about Network Health, call 888-257-1985 or visit www.Network-Health.org. Follow Network Health on Facebook and @_NetworkHealth on Twitter.

To learn about health plan options, Massachusetts residents can call the Health Connector at
877-636-4654 (TTY: 877-623-7773), Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., or visit www.mahealthconnector.org; call MassHealth at 800-841-2900 (TTY: 800-497-4648), Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or visit www.mass.gov/masshealth; or call the Medical Security Program at 800-908-8801, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or visit www.mass.gov/dua/msp.
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