BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF TEXAS, CHRISTUS SPOHN HOSPITAL CORPUS CHRISTI -- SHORELINE TO LAUNCH QUALITY PROGRAM AIMED AT REDUCING HOSPITAL-ACQUIRED INFECTIONS
Texas Hospital Quality Initiative Uses Proven Technology-Driven Techniques To Improve Patient Care and Reduce Costs

July 29, 2005, Corpus Christi, Texas — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi -- Shoreline announced today they are launching an infection reduction quality program at the hospital that will help improve care and reduce costs.  Nationwide, nearly six percent of hospital admissions result in hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), affecting an estimated 2 million patients annually.  In addition to the human costs, Texas hospitals alone spend an additional $1.4 billion dollars annually to treat patients with HAIs.
 
"We are excited to partner with CHRISTUS Spohn in this pilot program," says Darren Rodgers, senior vice president, Health Care Management, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas.  "We are committed to this quality initiative and look forward to working with CHRISTUS Spohn to make a significant impact on reducing hospital infection rates and their related costs."

The Texas Hospital Quality Initiative (THQI) is an effort to use proven technologies to address a major complication faced by all hospitals.  The goal is to create a model for reduction of hospital-acquired infections as Blue Cross partners with selected hospitals across the state in the pilot project.

"Patient safety is paramount in our daily living in the hospital," explains Paul Trevino, executive vice president/administrator, CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi – Shoreline.  "The partnership between Blue Cross and CHRISTUS Spohn will only elevate our ability to improve quality of care in this critical area.  Many organizations talk about patient safety, but we are actually doing something about it."

The advanced "artificial intelligence" technology that will be used to track patterns of infections and antibiotic resistance for the project was developed by MedMined, Inc., a medical information technology company.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas is the only statewide, non-investor owned health coverage provider in Texas, serving nearly 4 million members in all 254 counties.  Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas is a division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

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