FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Margaret Jarvis
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas
972-766-7165 or margaret_jarvis@bcbstx.com
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas Unveils Blue Health Intelligence; Resource Will Enhance Knowledge Sharing
Blue Health Intelligence will create unique opportunities to share knowledge with employers, consumers, and providers and to improve health care quality.
August 4, 2006, Richardson, Texas - Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas announced today the creation of Blue Health Intelligence (BHI), a unique resource combining 20 Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans across the country that will improve the quality of health care through opportunities to share critical health information initially with employers and in the future with consumers and providers. BHI is the premier health intelligence resource in the nation and will strengthen the movement to greater health care transparency by ultimately providing unmatched detail about health care trends and best practices.
The secure, HIPAA-compliant database is comprised of claims information (with no personal identifiers) from 79 million lives - significantly larger than existing health care databases. Twenty Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans are currently participating in BHI (see list attached). Access to the aggregate data will be available only to the participating Plans.
"We look forward to the assistance BHI will provide to employers, especially the role it will play in helping them to better manage the quality of benefits they offer to employees," says Martin G. Foster, president, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. "One of the biggest strengths of BHI is that it has been completed at a time when consumers are playing an increasing role in managing their health care needs. BHI will lay the foundation for helping consumers by providing greater access to information that enables them to make informed health care decisions."
When fully operational, BHI will offer consumers the ability to compare accurate, detailed cost and quality information against their own health options on everything from drugs to doctors and hospitals to the treatment of chronic conditions. BHI is currently being pilot-tested and will be operational by 2007.
The creation of BHI responds to the demands of employers, consumers, and providers who are calling for credible and actionable data to drive informed, evidence-based decision making.
As BHI evolves, the resource will provide a number of benefits to employers, consumers, providers and other stakeholders, including:
- Sharper insight into health care trends and best clinical practices
- Information about the efficacy of certain treatments and new medical technologies as well as emerging trends in health care practice and delivery
- Benchmarking data to assist in conducting comparative analyses across a number of health care components, and
- Opportunities for health services research
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas - the only statewide, non-investor-owned health insurer in Texas - is the largest provider of health benefits in the state, working with nearly 40,000 physicians and 400 hospitals to serve more than 3.3 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.
Blue Health Intelligence (BHI)
BHI Participating Plans*
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska
Blue Cross of Idaho
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York / BlueShield of Northeastern New York (HealthNow New York, Inc.)
Capital Blue Cross
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (DC, DE, MD)
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield
Highmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Independence Blue Cross
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans in IL, OK, NM, TX (Health Care Service Corporation)
The Blue Cross or Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans in CA, CO, CT, GA, IN, KY, ME, MO, NH, NV, NY, OH, VA, WI (WellPoint, Inc.)
*As of 8/04/2006
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