WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Results of yearlong search to identify the best managed care practices in treating women with breast cancer were announced Wednesday by the American Association of Health Plans.

The report highlights "exemplary breast cancer programs" developed by Humana Health Plan of Chicago, Keystone Mercy Health Plan of Pennsylvania, Kaiser Permanente of California, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

The AAHP invited its membership of 1,000 health plans, which represents over 140 million people, to submit their approaches to breast cancer treatment.

The programs were evaluated on the following criteria: patient satisfaction, overall effectiveness, innovation and creativity, quality, relevance and validity of the program's internal evaluation, and the ability of other plans to replicate and implement the program.

Thirty-six other plans met all the criteria as well.

"Most people don't realize that every day women's lives are being saved and their quality of life improved because health plans have developed programs that safeguard women's health." said AAHP President Karen Ignagni.

The report is the first of four included in a new series, "Best Practices in Women's Health: Identifying Exemplary Care." Later this year, reports on family battering and obstetrics and prenatal care are expected. In February, an initiative on hormone replacement therapy and other midlife issues is expected to be released.

The programs were identified by a Women's Health Task Force convened by the AAHP comprising women's health experts, including primary care physicians, health educators, patient advocates, health policy experts, and people who specialize in analyzing health care systems.