NCQA is best described as which of the following?

• A. Private nonprofit
• B. Government agency
• C. For-profit corporation
• D. Hospital consortium

Answer: (D)

NCQA stands for National Committee for Quality Assurance and is a private nonprofit organization focused on improving health care quality. It operates independently of the government and isn’t driven by profits for owners or shareholders, which distinguishes it from a for-profit entity. NCQA develops standards and conducts accreditation and certification of health plans and other health care organizations, using performance measures (like HEDIS) to assess quality. It isn’t a hospital consortium, which would be a group of hospitals collaborating; instead, it works across the health plan and provider landscape to promote quality. So the best description is that it is a private nonprofit organization.