Harvard Pilgrim ranked top health plan in nation

The Red Sox and Patriots aren't the only Massachusetts winners this fall.

Each of the state's top four nonprofit health plans took high honors in an annual ranking of health insurance companies in the United States. For the third year running, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care was named the best health insurance company in the country, according to rankings compiled by the respected nonprofit National Committee for Quality Assurance for US News and World Report magazine.

Tufts Health Plan secured second place for the second year in a row, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts repeated in fourth place. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care of New England, a Harvard Pilgrim affiliate that serves New Hampshire and Maine, took third place.

The rankings compared plans based on clinical performance and customer satisfaction. The lists, labeled "America's Best Health Plans," will be published in the Nov. 5 issue of US News and World Report.

These rankings are "a practical tool that helps consumers make informed decisions when choosing a health plan," said Margaret E. O'Kane, president of the quality assurance committee. "It lets consumers know which plans have demonstrated they can deliver the highest levels of care and service."

For many insurers, November and December are annual open enrollment periods, during which members can change plans.

The National Committee for Quality Assurance also ranks privately administered Medicare plans, which provide health coverage to senior citizens, and Medicaid plans, which provide assistance to those with low incomes. Fallon Community Health Plan of Worcester secured top rankings in both of those categories, while Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and Tufts Health Plan took second and third place, respectively, in the Medicare ranking.

"Rather than waiting for someone to get in touch with us, we reach out to people," said Charles Baker, chief executive of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. "For instance, we have live people who call new members who enroll in high deductible plans, and nurses who call people who leave the hospital to make sure they have adequate hand-off plans."

Harvard Pilgrim is the second-largest health plan in the state with about 1 million members.

Dr. Allen J. Hinkle, chief medical officer of Tufts Health Plan, said 22 percent of the plan's members are involved in a health management program, which he said provide greater oversight of care and can lead to better outcomes. Five years ago, Hinkle said, fewer than 3 percent of members were in such plans.

"Now, we are really working with members trying to improve their health so they don't need to be in the acute-care setting," said Hinkle.

Jeffrey Krasner can be reached at krasner@globe.com.