Provider Information Site

Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon

In 2001, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon (BCBSO) launched the Provider Information Site, a portal to a wealth of information for providers and the public. Prior to the launch of this site, providers and office staff had to contact Regence BCBSO directly to obtain information about claims and billing, patient benefits and eligibility, and even policy documentation. Reliance on telephone and fax communication left physician office staff waiting in telephone queues, or by the fax for answers to their questions. Regence BCBSO found itself with a communications gap: Distribution of potentially cost-saving information to their 15,000 providers relied on memos, newsletters
and occasional workshops.

Program Elements

The Internet was an ideal vehicle to help BCBSO communicate with their providers and members. With both providers and members able to access the site, the Provider Information Site reinforced BCBSO's "open door" policy to information and resources. This site proved to be functional yet still secure, as member-specific information is available to physicians in a HIPAA-compliant manner via a password protected portion of the site.
A comprehensive online set of tools and resources are available to providers, including clinical guidelines, member eligibility information, Web-based claims submission, pre-authorization and referrals. These online utilities largely replaced paper-based and telephone-based transactions.

Program Results

Customer service call wait time has been cut in half, down to less than one minute of wait time because of reduced call volume.
Of the physicians surveyed who visited the site, 82 percent agreed that the information provided on the site was "excellent" or "good ." Additionally, 77 percent indicated that the site's ease of navigation was "excellent."
Visits to the site by the larger community have increased from 963 to 94,000 per month through Q3 2005.

Contact

Jayne Drinan-Taylor, Consultant, ledrina@regence.com