The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recently awarded Wellsource, Inc. a 
"Earning NCQA-certification for our health assessments and wellness tools reflects our commitment to promote health, prevent disease, increase productivity, and enhance the quality of life for people and organizations," says Wellsource Chief Operating Officer Chris McReynolds. "It's an important certification that distinguishes our health assessments from others in the industry."
MEM 1 Certification for Health Appraisals
Wellsource received NCQA certification for its commercial and Medicaid/Medicare HRAs, meeting the MEM 1 requirements for Health Appraisals. Wellsource® HRAs are evidence-based questionnaires designed to identify health risks for individuals and organizations. After completing the questionnaire, either online or in paper format, individuals receive a personalized report with recommendations to improve their health and reduce their risk for disease. In addition, customized group reports can be created to measure the overall health of an organization's population. Written at a 4th grade reading level, the Wellsource® Medicaid HRA meets federal and most state guidelines for HRAs, in addition to NCQA requirements.
MEM 2 Certification for Self-Management Tools
Wellsource also received NCQA certification for its MEM 2 Self-Management Tools, which include an online wellness library, intervention programs, wellness newsletters, and printed health education guides. The Online Wellness Center™ includes mini-assessments, calculators, quizzes, self-help tools, health challenges, and an estimated 3,000 articles designed to educate participants and encourage healthy lifestyle behaviors. A Medicaid version, written at a 4th grade reading level, is also available.
The NCQA certification program provides organizations with best-practice standards to develop health-related tools and products such as the Wellsource® health assessments and self-management tools. Established to improve the quality of healthcare products and services, the NCQA certification process ensures that HRAs and other wellness tools demonstrate compliance in the areas of: scope (addressing the most critical topics), disclosures, formats, and frequency. Companies undergoing certification must also commit to an ongoing, well documented review and update process.
"We've been in the wellness business for more than 35 years," says McReynolds. "Wellsource founder, Dr. Don Hall, pioneered the first computer-based HRA for use in corporate wellness programs. Being an NCQA-certified organization is important to us, and it's important to our clients who are dedicated to improving the lives of millions of people."
About Wellsource
Wellsource, Inc. is a health and wellness company based in Portland, Oregon. Founded by Dr. Don Hall in 1979, Wellsource was the first company to introduce a computer-based corporate health risk assessment (HRA) in the United States. Its numerous evidence-based HRAs are derived from guidelines and research published in peer-reviewed medical journals, and from leading health organizations. Organizations use Wellsource® HRAs and self-management tools in employee wellness programs and with other population groups to improve health outcomes, help lower health claims, reduce absenteeism, and increase productivity.
