Collecting member race, ethnicity, and language (REL) information
As a part of our ongoing commitment to improving healthcare equity, we are reaching out to inform you about an important initiative that will impact your employees. Starting in January, 2025, we will be collecting race, ethnicity, and language (REL) data from all of our health plan members through a secure online questionnaire.
What you need to know
The collection of REL data is part of a nationwide mandate from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Health plans, including Premera, are required to gather this data from at least 80% of health plan members–and this is no small feat! So, we greatly appreciate your support.
The purpose of this initiative is to better understand the diverse needs of members and ensure that everyone has access to quality, equitable healthcare.
Where the questionnaire will be available
Your employees will be able to access the REL questionnaire through their secure member accounts and the Premera mobile app. We encourage you to share this information with your teams and remind them that providing this data is voluntary but critical to improving healthcare services for everyone.
Ready-to-share content, such as emails, flyers, and copy-and-paste messages will be available in your employee communications library, B’link, for you to share with your employees before the questionnaire goes live. We will notify you of its availability through the Employer News page and the associated e-newsletter.
Learn more
To help answer any questions, we created a series of reference documents to help keep you informed:
- Race, Ethnicity, and Language Data: Why it matters for employer groups
- Race, Ethnicity, and Language Data Gathering Employer FAQ
- 5 Things Employers Should Know About REL
Each of these resources provides detailed information about the REL data collection initiative, how it will be used, and how data will be stored securely to protect member privacy.
If you have any questions that are not covered in these documents, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your Premera representative or producer. We value your collaboration and are here to support you during this process.
Looking ahead
This initiative is an important step in ensuring equitable healthcare for all, and we appreciate your role in helping us reach that goal. We look forward to working with you to make this initiative a success and ensure that your employees receive the best possible care.