Meridian, ID – Blue Cross of Idaho, the state’s largest health insurer, has been presented a 2019 Advantage Award by IBM Watson Health™ for Performance Improvement and Efficiency. The award was presented on May 9, 2019, during the annual IBM Watson Health customer event, the Advantage Conference, in Orlando, Florida.
The IBM Watson Health Advantage Awards recognize hospitals, health plans, government agencies and employers that are breaking new ground in the use of data and analytics to improve the quality, effectiveness and affordability of healthcare and social programs.
IBM Watson Health offers a wide range of healthcare data, analytics and IT solutions – which include clinical, operational and financial performance, robust data warehousing, population health management, payment integrity analytics across the spectrum of care – to health plans, healthcare providers, HIT suppliers, large employers, state and federal government customers and life sciences companies.
Blue Cross of Idaho developed a three-tired commercial fee schedule utilizing IBM Health Insights. The software reviews the total cost of care for a medical episode and then tiers the physician and/or clinic on performance. Physicians and clinics then undergo a peer-to-peer comparison (i.e., orthopedic to orthopedic) to evaluate efficiency across the state.
From that dialogue, Blue Cross of Idaho can provide actionable data, so providers know about lower cost, higher quality providers for referrals and medication choices outside of their offices.
“Blue Cross of Idaho is using IBM Health Insights to arm doctors with data about the complexity of care – office visits, physical therapy, surgery and anesthesia,” said Drew Hobby, Senior Vice President for Healthcare Economics for Blue Cross of Idaho. “Often, doctors do not have the information about facilities or medications that offer high-quality results at a lower cost. We rank a provider against his or her peers on the cost-efficiency of care. We’re proud to use the most advanced healthcare technology to improve performance throughout the entire continuum of care.”
About Blue Cross of Idaho
Blue Cross of Idaho, a not-for-profit mutual insurance company based in Meridian, Idaho, is a leader in delivering innovative health insurance products, services and information to more than 563,900 members. For 74 years, the company has advocated on behalf of its members to ensure they have access to high-quality healthcare at the lowest possible cost. It also serves the people of Idaho through support of community organizations, programs and events that promote good health. Blue Cross of Idaho is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, visit bcidaho.com.