Avian Flu Preparation by Blue Cross and Blue Shield Organizations

Preparation by Blue Cross and Blue Shield Organizations
The United States may not experience a pandemic similar in scope and severity to the one that occurred in 1918.  Nevertheless, Blue Cross and Blue Shield organizations have been monitoring closely the avian (bird) flu epidemic and its potential to become a pandemic, consistent with their important roles as employers, as businesses that provide health care benefits to members and purchasers, and as stakeholders in the healthcare delivery infrastructure.  

BCBSA and member Blue companies are also starting to prepare for a possible pandemic now, with the hope that key business functions and service to members and purchasers can be maintained and that employees can be educated about disease prevention.

What we are doing now
BCBSA and Blue companies have put in place traditional business continuity/disaster plans that focus largely on physical damage to facilities and computing operations.  Although it would be impossible to account for every contingency of a pandemic, they are modifying these plans to address aspects of an avian flu pandemic that could impact work force availability.  The business continuity plans lay out the processes and procedures that will help enable Blue companies to continue providing service to their members and to promote the health of their employees in the event of a pandemic.  A number of Blue companies have been developing fairly extensive business continuity plans that look at provider capacity issues, community and delivery system impacts, benefits administration, and potential cost impact. 

For information on pandemic preparedness activities at your local Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plan, please check the Plan's web site.

Coordinating information
Blue Cross and Blue Shield organizations are being asked by their members and employer clients to help provide a coordinated source of authoritative information on avian flu, infection control, and other preventive issues.  To meet these requests, bcbs.com will provide up-dated information on the threat of an avian flu pandemic, including links to the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and other authorities.  BCBSA will also provide extensive resources and information on continuity planning to member Plans on its internal website, Blue Web, beginning in the summer of 2006.