Quality highlights

We offer a variety of programs and services designed to enhance your health and experience.

Quality matters at UCare

UCare's Quality and Population Health Program is committed to continuously improving our health plans and services to ensure the highest quality of care for our members. We analyze data to identify where we can improve and implement programs and initiatives to ensure our work has a positive impact. The success of our work is evaluated by looking at whether members received the care they needed at the right place and time. We use feedback provided by our members to improve our programs and services. Our Quality and Population Health programs continue to see positive outcomes as we support and improve our members' health and well-being.

Learn more about our Quality programs

UCare's Quality Improvement and Population Health initiatives

Current performance improvement projects (PIPs)

Star Ratings

Every year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) measures and awards plans based on a 5-star rating system, five stars being the highest. These Star Ratings are awarded each year and may change from one year to the next.

2025 Star Ratings:

UCare Medicare – 4 out of 5 stars
UCare's Minnesota Senior Health Options – 3.5 out of 5 stars
UCare Connect + Medicare – 3 out of 5 stars
EssentiaCare – 4.5 out of 5 stars
UCare Individual & Family Plans – 4 out of 5 stars
UCare Your Choice – 3.5 out of 5 stars

Why do Star Ratings matter?

Star Ratings can be used as a tool to tell which plans in your area are top performers. A plan with a 4-star rating or higher is considered an above-average plan. You can use these Star Ratings to compare our plan's performance to other plans and find the one that best meets your needs. You can look up Medicare plans and review their ratings on the Medicare website. For Individual & Family Plans, visit the MNsure website.

How can I enroll in UCare's high-performing star plans?

To learn more, schedule a call with a licensed Medicare sales specialist by calling 612‑676‑3500 (TTY users call 612‑676‑6810 or 1‑800‑688‑2534).

Hours of operation:
8 am – 8 pm, seven days a week (Oct. 1 – March 31)
8 am – 8 pm, Monday – Friday (April 1 – Sept. 30)

NCQA Accreditation

NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA's website contains information to help consumers and others make more informed health care choices.

Health Plan Accreditation

Our full line of Medicare, Medicaid and Individual & Family health plans maintain Health Plan Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). This accreditation shows that UCare is committed to the highest standards of quality.

Health Equity Accreditation

Our Medicaid plans achieved Health Equity Accreditation from NCQA. This accreditation recognizes UCare as a market leader in providing services sensitive to members' cultural and language preferences in addition to working to reduce health inequities and improve care.

Our Quality program

Every year, UCare reviews the work from last year and sets new goals for this year.

Quality Program Description 2024
Quality Program Evaluation Executive Summary 2023
Quality Program Work Plan 2024

Member satisfaction

Member feedback is important to UCare — we want to hear from you. CMS and the Department of Human Services (DHS) measure UCare's overall performance as a health plan through annual member experience surveys. The surveys help us identify opportunities to improve quality and services.

If you are a Medicare member with a prescription drug plan, you can learn more about the Medicare Experience Survey and the improvements we’ve made to our health plans.

We hope you are satisfied with your plan and willing to share your experience with us. If for any reason you are unhappy with our service, let us know by calling the customer service number on the back of your member ID card or send a secure message through your online member account.

UCare's Quality Improvement and Population Health initiatives

UCare evaluates the needs of our entire membership to connect members with programs and services tailored to their needs. UCare looks at member data, performance data and member experience feedback to identify where we can make improvements. We ask members and community partners to help us develop programs and activities that improve health, lower costs and reduce health gaps. Improvement activities are assessed to make sure they help members stay healthy and manage chronic conditions while helping us achieve our goals. We've highlighted a few key activities as part of our mission.

Population Health programs

Member need	What we do
Keeping members healthy	The Health Improvement team provides services related to preventive care and social needs that align with members' cultural and ethnic background and language preferences The Maternal and Child Health Program provides health education and resources for prenatal and postpartum care
Emerging risk and pregnancy	The Disease Management team provides coaching and education to help members manage hypertension and pre-diabetes The Maternal and Child Health — Prenatal and Postpartum Care Management team provides pregnancy education, community resources and support with managing prenatal and postpartum care The Maternal and Child Health — NICU Care Management team supports the baby, mom and family by addressing postpartum needs. They also provide encouragement, education and family support regarding the baby’s NICU hospitalization, transition home and follow-up care.
Chronic condition management	The Care Management team works with members, providers and caregivers to ensure there's dependable care, coordinate programs and provide resources for transportation, food, housing, prescriptions and more The Disease Management team provides coaching and education to help members manage asthma, diabetes, heart failure and migraines The Pharmacy team offers Medication Therapy Management (MTM) where members can connect with a pharmacist to review their medications and ensure they are safe, effective, affordable and easy to use
Multiple chronic conditions	The Complex Care Management team supports high-risk members by helping them and their caregivers navigate through the health care system, coordinate care and access necessary services and resources The Mental Health and Substance Use Case Management team provides support to members with mental health and substance use diagnoses to help them receive the services and care they need The Case Management team for children and adolescents provides education, care coordination and resources for members who are currently receiving services for early intensive developmental behavioral intervention (EIDBI)

Making it easier for you to see a dentist

This project promotes oral health and the importance of yearly dental visits for children and families.

For UCare members with: UCare Connect (SNBC), UCare Connect + Medicare (HMO D-SNP), MinnesotaCare, Minnesota Senior Care Plus (MSC+), UCare's Minnesota Senior Health Options (MSHO) (HMO D-SNP), Prepaid Medical Assistance Program (PMAP)

Goal: To increase the number of members that visit a dentist every year

Making it easier for you to see a dentist

For members	What we do	For providers
UCare Dental Connection helps our members manage their dental care with one simple phone call Dental Kits for adults and kids Dental visit incentive Medicaid Dental Service grid	Train and teach our care coordinators Provide services from our health improvement specialists related to dental care that aligns with members' backgrounds and language preferences Connect members and providers to dental care coordinators Make it easier to get four cleanings per year Add benefits for MSHO and Connect + Medicare like cleanings and crown replacement	Dental Provider Toolkit

Call UCare Dental Connection if you need help finding or locating a dental provider.

The dental table shows results from 2021 – 2023 trended data.

Annual dental visit rate

Annual Dental Visit Rate	2021	2022	2023
PMAP/MinnesotaCare	34.69%	32.97%	36.84%
UCare Connect/UCare Connect + Medicare	36.32%	34.6%	39.68%
UCare's MSHO/MSC+	30.04%	30.92%	33.9%

Current performance improvement projects (PIP)

UCare works with other Minnesota health plans and DHS to improve the health of Minnesotans.

Healthy Start for Mothers and their Children

This project promotes a "Healthy Start" for Minnesota mothers and their children, particularly populations (or groups) with the lowest rates of receiving care.

For UCare members with: PMAP, MinnesotaCare

Goal: To provide timely prenatal and postpartum care to our members, increase well-child visits, encourage childhood vaccines and improve health equity

Healthy Start for Mothers and their Children

For members	What we do	For providers
Are you pregnant? Get connected with UCare resources and support by calling the customer service number on the back of your ID card. Earn rewards for completing your pregnancy and well-child visits with UCare member incentives Learn more about our MOMS Program to help you stay healthy during and after pregnancy Learn how to get a free car seat by calling UCare Customer Service to be connected with a SEATS Program partner Find resources and ideas for planning and preparing healthy foods, such as food assistance, meal planning, recipes and more from our food and nutritional resources	Case management for members' prenatal and postpartum care Provide services from our health improvement specialists related to preventive care that aligns with members' background and language preferences Community-based engagement and provider partners Review our benefits to ensure members have access to needed services during pregnancy	Member referral to UCare Prenatal Case Management. Send member information, including name, date of birth, member ID number, phone number and reason for referral to maternitynotification@ucare.org. Food and nutritional resources Provider webinar series

In the tables for maternal health, UCare has calculated trending data for each of the measures and drill-down analysis on health equity.

Maternal health measures:

Prenatal care

	HEDIS MY 2021	HEDIS MY 2022	HEDIS MY 2023
Overall HEDIS rates
PMAP	56.5%	58.08%	62.19%
MinnesotaCare	58.8%	61.79%	58.06%
Rates by race
Native American	56.8%	50.44%	51.67%
Asian or Pacific Islander	55.3%	55.29%	75%
Black or African American	58.8%	63.47%	62.93%
White	50.1%	54.35%	60.71%
Unknown	55.8%	61.29%	68.73%
Rates by geographic location
Metro	59.8%	63.8%	65.24%
Rural	41.4%	42.91%	51.98%

Postpartum care

	HEDIS MY 2021	HEDIS MY 2022	HEDIS MY 2023
Overall HEDIS rates
PMAP	53.1%	54.21%	56.75%
MinnesotaCare	56.5%	50.41%	55.91%
Rates by race
Native American	50.6%	50.44%	51.67%
Asian or Pacific Islander	46.2%	45.88%	49.76%
Black or African American	50.6%	51.87%	52.24%
White	55.5%	58.13%	61.93%
Unknown	70.1%	65.95%	76.87%
Rates by geographic location
Metro	51.6%	52.91%	53.81%
Rural	57%	57.56%	66.35%

Childhood measures:

Well-child visits (ages 0 – 15 months) (W15): 6+ visits

	HEDIS MY 2021	HEDIS MY 2022	HEDIS MY 2023
Overall HEDIS rates
PMAP	47.3%	48.83%	50.62%
MinnesotaCare	**	18.18%	66.67%
Rates by race
Native American	33.3%	43.06%	45.36%
Asian or Pacific Islander	49.6%	53.42%	55.36%
Black or African American	39.3%	44.01%	45.5%
White	53.5%	52.27%	56.15%
Unknown	52.9%	50.6%	47.91%
Rates by geographic location
Metro	47.6%	49.99%	50.37%
Rural	46.2%	45.22%	51.59%

**Rate was not reported.

Well-child visits (ages 16 – 30 months) (W15): 2+ visits

	HEDIS MY 2021	HEDIS MY 2022	HEDIS MY 2023
Overall HEDIS rates
PMAP	59.65%	62.95%	63.9%
MinnesotaCare	50%	54.55%	62.5%
Rates by race
Native American	57.1%	54.81%	62.7%
Asian or Pacific Islander	62%	66.49%	70.94%
Black or African American	54.6%	56.16%	58.55%
White	64.6%	67.37%	67.57%
Unknown	58.4%	66.18%	62.49%
Rates by geographic location
Metro	59.7%	62.17%	63.27%
Rural	59.5%	64.89%	66.02%

Childhood immunization status (Combo 10)

	HEDIS MY 2021	HEDIS MY 2022	HEDIS MY 2023
Overall HEDIS rates
PMAP	34.8%	30.99%	29.36%
MinnesotaCare	**	37.5%	33.33%
Rates by race
Native American	28.8%	24.14%	25.86%
Asian or Pacific Islander	44.3%	42.26%	42.7%
Black or African American	20.8%	17.41%	17.29%
White	44.5%	39.01%	35.87%
Unknown	39.7%	37.69%	31.1%
Rates by geographic location
Metro	33.9%	30.57%	29.39%
Rural	37%	32.1%	29.29%

**Rate was not reported.

Improving diabetes care

This project is to improve diabetes care and services with a focus on populations (or groups) with the lowest rates of receiving care. Race or ethnicity, sex, sexual identity, age, disability, socioeconomic status and geographic location all contribute to a person's ability to achieve good health.

For UCare members with: UCare Connect, UCare Connect + Medicare, MSC+, UCare's MSHO

Goal: To improve diabetes care for members

Diabetes care

For members	What we do	For providers
Find resources and ideas for planning and preparing healthy foods, such as food assistance, meal planning and recipes and more from our food and nutritional resources Explore how you can take an active role in managing your diabetes. Check out UCare Diabetes Disease Management Program. Participate in our complete fitness program, One Pass^® , with access to more than <23,000> participating fitness locations	Improve community outreach and partnerships Create tools to connect members to social services and community resources Improve provider partnerships Provide services from our health improvement specialists related to diabetes care that aligns with members' backgrounds and language preferences Use data to assess member social determinants of health risks to better understand barriers to care Provide in-home testing kits for diabetic screenings	Food and nutritional resources Minnesota Department of Health Diabetes and Center for Health Promotion Provider webinar series

In the tables, UCare calculated trending data for each measure and a drill-down analysis on health equity. The 2021 – 2023 HEDIS rates are reported based on the comprehensive diabetes care (CDC) measure set. UCare will continue member education, outreach and work with providers to help us reach our goal. Also, efforts will continue with a focus on aligning care with members' backgrounds and addressing gaps in care within the populations experiencing a disparity.

Hemoglobin A1c testing

	HEDIS MY 2021	HEDIS MY 2022	HEDIS MY 2023
Overall HEDIS rates
UCare Connect	92.7%	90.5%	90.8%
UCare Connect + Medicare	94.9%	93.7%	96.1%
MSC+	85.7%	*	*
UCare's MSHO	94.6%	94.6%	95.1%
Rates by race
Native American	**	88.2%	87.2%
Asian or Pacific Islander	89.8%	95.4%	97.2%
Black or African American	88.3%	89.6%	92.1%
White	90.6%	94.2%	94.4%
Rates by geographic location
Metropolitan	89.3%	93.1%	94.6%
Micropolitan	93%	90.9%	91.2%
Rural	83.9%	95%	91.2%

Blood pressure control (140/90 mm Hg) (BPD)

	HEDIS MY 2021	HEDIS MY 2022	HEDIS MY 2023
Overall HEDIS rates
UCare Connect	70.1%	59.9%	71.5%
UCare Connect + Medicare	77.1%	72%	80.3%
MSC+	*	*	*
UCare's MSHO	70.7%	66.7%	74.5%
Rates by race
Native American	**	70.6%	57.4%
Asian or Pacific Islander	64.8%	62.6%	73.9%
Black or African American	64.4%	58.7%	66.1%
White	78.2%	69.5%	80.4%
Rates by geographic location
Metropolitan	71.2%	64.7%	74.1%
Micropolitan	81.1%	72.1%	83.8%
Rural	74.2%	72%	77.4%

Eye exam (EED)

	HEDIS MY 2021	HEDIS MY 2022	HEDIS MY 2023
Overall HEDIS rates
UCare Connect	60.1%	64.7%	63%
UCare Connect + Medicare	72%	77.1%	75.4%
MSC+	58.5%	*	*
UCare's MSHO	74.4%	81.8%	78.6%
Rates by race
Native American	**	76.5%	76.6%
Asian or Pacific Islander	55.1%	73.3%	69.7%
Black or African American	62.0%	71.5%	74.4%
White	66.8%	75.7%	72%
Rates by geographic location
Metropolitan	62.9%	74.1%	72.7%
Micropolitan	62.9%	80.5%	76.5%
Rural	58%	70%	64.2%

Kidney health evaluation (KED)

	HEDIS MY 2021	HEDIS MY 2022	HEDIS MY 2023
Overall HEDIS rates
UCare Connect	25.9%	25.4%	40%
UCare Connect + Medicare	32.7%	34.9%	49.7%
MSC+	29.9%	27.8%	46.7%
UCare's MSHO	33.8%	35.8%	55.1%
Rates by race
Native American	21.7%	20.2%	31.4%
Asian or Pacific Islander	33.5%	28.8%	62.7%
Black or African American	35%	36.1%	53.2%
White	25.4%	27.4%	40.4%
Rates by geographic location
Metropolitan	28.6%	29%	48.2%
Micropolitan	33.7%	34.5%	39.4%
Rural	30.5%	31.4%	37.6%

*MSC+ was not a reportable product for UCare in tables missing that data.

**Rates with denominators less than 30 or numerators less than 10 were suppressed due to rate instability from small numbers.

To see more of UCare's work on important current and past projects, visit Stratis Health's Collaborative Health Plan performance improvement projects webpage.

Stratis Health is a nonprofit organization that aims to collaborate and improve health by guiding health improvement initiatives. Stratis Health facilitates and works with Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) such as UCare.