ACHP: Making Health Care Better

The Alliance of Community Health Plans breaks the mold of the typical health care association. We follow an approach that allows us to focus exclusively on improvements in coverage and care at the plan and national level. At ACHP, "Making Health Care Better" is more than just a bullet at the bottom of a lengthy work plan. It's our organizational focus.

Our members are different
Our member organziations are not-for-profit or are led by physicians. They have deep roots and take pride in the communities they serve. They are national leaders in quality measurement and improvement, technological innovations like electronic medical records, preventive care and coordinating care for the best patient outcomes. They offer a diverse range of coverage options, including HMOs, PPOs, high-deductible plans and more. They have a long history of working with Medicare members. And they are among America's best at delivering affordable, high-quality coverage and care to their communities. Year after year, the independent National Committee for Quality Assurance and other organizations rank them among the best plans in the nation.

Our approach is different
Whether the topic is clinical innovations or marketplace strategies, our programs are a cut above those of other organizations that work with health plans. Many associations and consulting firms rely on vendors to lead programs. We think that our members have more valuable discussions when they learn from each others approaches and experiences. We host intimate forums where physician leaders and other health plan professionals from across our membership come together to solve some of health cares most pressing challenges. The quantitative and qualitative tools that we develop - like our interactive ACHP HealthPlan Performance Gauge and popular series of Innovations Summaries - support the learning and problem solving process.

Situated in our nations capital, we are well positioned to engage our members in advocacy for better health care. Consistent with our mission, we work for public policies to improve the quality of the nations health care and the lives of patients. The improvements that ACHP advocates are grounded in the experience and innovations of our members.

Our value is different
Health plans and provider organizations join ACHP for different reasons. All are attracted by the benefits of networking with likeminded peers who face similar opportunities and challenges posed by an ever-changing marketplace. Some seek a stronger voice on Capitol Hill and in the policymaking process that supports better health care. Others turn to us for programs designed to improve their clinical and marketplace performance. Still others use ACHP as a professional development tool for some health plan staff. Whatever their reasons, all of our members are firmly committed to improving coverage and care at the plan level and nationally and to embracing new, innovative ways to accomplish this goal.

Those who get the most out of ACHP membership are active participants in our programming. They attend our meetings, participate in Web conferences and conference calls and interact with ACHP staff and their peers at other ACHP member organizations offline. They lead sessions to help other members learn from their experiences. It is impossible to get value out of ACHP without demonstrating a willingness to participate. In return for this commitment, our members receive a level of interaction, honesty and strategies for success that other health care associations and consultancies cannot match.