Independent Health Association has been ranked as the top HMO or point-of-service plan in the nation for customer service by an independent health plan rating and evaluation organization.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance gave the Williamsville- based health insurer top billing in its Quality Compass 2009 ranking, which each year measures the performance of health plans nationwide. Thats up from fourth place in 2008.

The data is based on survey results from a random sample of health plan members. More than 1,100 Independent Health members were contacted between February and May.

"We really feel quite excited to be recognized for the tremendous commitment that the team has made to serve our members," said Dr. Michael W. Cropp, the insurers president and CEO. "For me, it reinforces the passion that our team has for meeting our members needs. Its a great honor, and its really something that all of our employees, our team members, should be excited about."

Ironically, Cropp said, the insurer earned the accolade from its members even before it consolidated some operations into a new building with new capabilities intended to help its service staff be more effective. Those changes went into effect after the survey had been completed. "That surprised the heck out of me," Cropp said.

Independent Health earned a top score of 94.78 in the category of combined health maintenance organizations (HMO) and point-of-service (POS) plans.

Buffalo-based HealthNow New York, parent of BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, posted a score of 88.24, ranking it 20th in the category, while Univera Healthcare earned an 86.47, or 44th in the country. HealthNow also posted an 86.85 for its separate preferred provider organization (PPO) plan.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance, based in Washington, is the nations leading database of information on the clinical performance and patient experience for 415 commercial health plan products serving 94 million enrollees. The organization regularly accredits health plans based on whether they meet industry standards.

The Quality Compass ratings are required to achieve or keep accreditation and are used by health plans to improve quality and processes.

"The Quality Compass database is an invaluable tool to health plans because it allows them the opportunity to see how they perform among their peers on a regional and national level," said Margaret E. OKane, the National Committees president.

Independent Health has maintained the committees top level of accreditation — "excellent" — for more than a decade. It has also been rated among the top health plans for four straight years by the committee and U. S. News & World Report in their annual published rankings of "Americas Best Health Plans." It is highly rated by Consumer Reports as well.