Anthem National Accounts Expands Industry's Most Comprehensive Transparency Initiative to Four New Markets

Anthem’s Care Comparison Tool Gives Anthem Members in Four Midwest Markets the Most Complete Picture of Costs Associated with Medical Procedures

May 3, 2007

CINCINNATI, OH  – Anthem National Accounts announced today the expansion of its industry-leading transparency initiative into four new markets. Now, millions of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield members in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky will have access to Anthem's Care Comparison, an online tool that provides quality information, along with the total estimated costs associated with all aspects of nearly 40 specific medical procedures performed at local area hospitals.

Anthem's Care Comparison tool is expanding to Cincinnati, Ohio; Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky; and central Indiana, including Indianapolis. In total, more than two million Anthem members will have access to the Anthem Care Comparison tool in these markets.

"We developed Anthem's Care Comparison tool to focus on elective, discretionary, high volume, or high cost procedures to provide meaningful information on comparisons and price," said Ken Goulet, president, Anthem National Accounts. "Anthem's Care Comparison tool will help members to assess the costs of each facility so they will have more of the information they need to make the best decision on the care that's right for them. Anthem members can now easily see how their choice of facility can impact their overall out-of-pocket costs."

Anthem's Care Comparison tool enables members to access the typical costs associated with all aspects of a specific medical procedure – not just the cost of the procedure itself, but the costs of the entire spectrum of care, from lab tests to recovery room charges. In addition, the cost information is facility specific, so members can compare the differences in cost among hospitals. In addition, Anthem members can get information on how frequently facilities perform each procedure, which can assist the member in assessing the care they seek.

Anthem's Care Comparison tool generates this information while also factoring in hospital, physician, and anesthesia costs to help provide a more accurate total cost analysis. These facility-specific medical care cost estimates help consumers understand the overall costs they are likely to incur before a medical service is provided.

The data generated for the Anthem Care Comparison tool comes directly from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield's claims paid data over the past 12-months and is updated quarterly. In addition, cost and quality information, including ratings based on the number of services performed at each facility, is supplied by several company-developed programs and partnerships with leading information management companies.

"Ultimately, we want Anthem's Care Comparison tool to create well-informed consumers of health care," said Sam Nussbaum, M.D., executive vice president and chief medical officer at Anthem's parent company. "Creating well-informed consumers, employers, physicians and hospital providers is an important element of transparency, and an essential step in transforming the consumers' role in their own health care."

In September 2006, Anthem unveiled the Anthem Care Comparison pilot in Dayton, Ohio, with partner General Motors, enabling thousands of Anthem members and GM employees in Dayton to participate in this transparency initiative. Since the rollout, Anthem has collected and analyzed member feedback to help enhance the effectiveness of Anthem's Care Comparison tool. More than 90 percent surveyed indicated the cost information provided by the tool is valuable, while 84 percent said it increases their ability to make good, informed decisions regarding where to have a medical service.

Anthem plans to continue expanding the Care Comparison tool nationally.

Anthem National Accounts
The Anthem National Accounts business unit serves members of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in the 11 states of Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.) and Wisconsin, in addition to Blue Cross of California, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield in the state of New York (Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield in 10 New York City metropolitan counties and as Empire Blue Cross or Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield in selected upstate counties only).  All are independent licensees of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.  ®Registered marks Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.  Additional information about Anthem is available at www.anthem.com.