THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross of California (Blue Cross) announced today its Medicaid (Medi-Cal) business received two National Awards in Medical and Pharmacy Management and an honorable mention from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) for innovative efforts to improve the nation’s health care delivery system. The Best of Blue awards recognized two unique Blue Cross programs -- one that taught members how to utilize their health plans for maximum benefit and another that established a community partnership to address local priority health issues. The honorable mention recognized the company’s effective use of information technology to improve efficiencies and reduce costs.
The “Best of Blue” awards recognize the most innovative medical and pharmacy management programs each year from among the 40 independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Companies. The focus areas of the awards are quality improvement, partnerships, plan-to-plan collaborations and quality outcomes methodology. The two “Best of Blue” winning entries from Blue Cross were in the categories of Innovation in Quality Improvement and Innovation in Partnership:
Innovation in Quality Improvement: -- “Out of the ER: The Tulare Project” -- In 2003, Tulare County had experienced an increase of emergency room (ER) visits due to recent closures of rural hospitals, a shortage of physicians, and an increase in uninsured and Medicaid populations. To research the reasons behind the increase in ER visits, Blue Cross collaborated with the Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency, local hospitals, and clinic partners. From there, Blue Cross partnered with the Frequent Users of Healthcare Services Initiative (a local provider effort) to better understand the reasons patients seek care in the ER. The collaborative conducted interviews and surveys of ER patients. The Blue Cross also disseminated postcards and self-care booklets in English and Spanish, reminding members about available health services. As a result, visits to the ER were decreased by approximately 10 percent. Innovation in Partnership: -- “Community Health: A Health Plan’s Contribution” -- In early 2003, a spontaneous fire erupted at a landfill in Fresno County, affecting thousands of people living nearby. The fire, which burned for a month, resulted in a dramatic increase in hospital and doctor’s visits. In response, Blue Cross partnered with local health care leaders to study the health affects of local air quality. The partnership grew into a comprehensive collaboration that involved physicians, respiratory therapists, local university professors, and representatives from the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District and the Fresno County Department of Community Health. Out of this collaboration came several public health changes, including more sophisticated air quality notification systems and tracking acute asthma episodes during events that may take place in the future. Public service announcements and outreach plans for parents of children with asthma were developed and coordinated.
In addition to these awards, Blue Cross’ state sponsored business also received an honorable mention for the program, “From Paper to Digital: It’s Better on the Net.” The honorable mention recognized the company’s use of technology to improve efficiency and reduce costs for The Health Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) data collection.
“Blue Cross of California continually strives to find innovative approaches to improving the quality of health care and addressing the needs of our members and communities,” said John Monahan, president, State Sponsored Business, Blue Cross of California. “We are honored to receive these distinguished awards that reflect our commitment to improving California’s health care system through education, collaboration and utilization of technology.”
“The Blue Cross of California programs we recognized demonstrate how Blue Cross is creating programs and partnerships that foster better and more affordable care for consumers in communities throughout their state,” said Allan Korn, M.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer for the BCBSA.
Blue Cross of California is one of the state’s largest health insurers and together with its California affiliate, BC Life & Health Insurance Company, the company serves more than 7.6 million medical members. Headquartered in Southern California, Blue Cross of California offers a flexible product portfolio with a broad range of options for small, medium and large groups, as well as individual plans for people without access to group coverage, seniors and consumers who are eligible for state sponsored programs. Blue Cross of California is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Association and can be found on the web at http://www.bluecrossca.com.
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is comprised of 40 independent, locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans that collectively provide healthcare coverage for more than 92 million - nearly one-third of all Americans. For more information on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its Plans, please visit http://www.bcbs.com.
Blue Cross of California
CONTACT: Kellie Bernell, +1-805-557-6755, kellie.bernell@wellpoint.com,for Blue Cross of California
