Topic

Affordability

In 6 months, Highmark BCBS’ value-based care program avoided $180 million in costs by decreasing ER utilization by 13% and hospitalizations by 16%. Read more >

Article

To manage healthcare costs, an employer dives into employee wellness

When Todd Hershbine took over as COO for Minitab, a 40-year-old software company headquartered in State College, Pa., he assumed...

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Video

Paul Markovich on creating a sustainable and affordable healthcare system

Paul Markovich, president and chief executive officer of Blue Shield of California, addresses the need to have a standard of care...

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Article

Blues are shaping the future of value-based care

Value-based care – done well – can improve the quality of care patients receive and drive down costs throughout the healthcare...

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Did you know?

Wellmark BCBS’ ACOs saved more than $16 dollars per member per month, reduced hospital admissions by more than 20% and boosted health and wellness screenings.

Article February 21, 2019

A new way to know what you’ll owe before a doctor’s visit

Thousands have downloaded a new app from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska that helps members find the most cost-effective doctors and procedures, with a twist: personalization.

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Report January 23, 2019

Planned knee and hip replacement surgeries are on the rise in the U.S.

A BCBS Health of America report finds cost of planned orthopedic procedures for knee replacements and hip replacements rose. Blue Distinction Centers can help Americans find cost-effective, quality healthcare.

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Article January 23, 2019

Three trends making knee and hip replacements more affordable and higher quality

These surgeries can change lives, so finding high quality, cost-effective care is critical. Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies have some answers.

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Article January 23, 2019

Blue Distinction®: Finding a Center of Excellence for knee and hip replacements

Blue Distinction® Specialty Care is a national designation program recognizing healthcare facilities that demonstrate expertise in delivering quality specialty care — safely, effectively and cost efficiently.

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Infographic January 23, 2019

Planned orthopedic procedures including knee and hip replacement surgeries are on the rise in the U.S.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield infographic finds planned orthopedic procedures for knee replacements and hip replacements are on the rise. Cost is lower in outpatient care than inpatient care.

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Article January 22, 2019

The next level of value-based care

A majority of North Carolina’s largest health care systems have committed to sharing in cost savings – and losses if they fall short – for improving patient health in a broad new value-based care plan. BCBS North Carolina’s bold new strategy to take value-based care statewide.

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Article December 18, 2018

In rural Alabama, nourishing family doctors’ deep roots

Many rural communities in Alabama are seeing independent doctors leave for urban markets. Anticipating what this might mean for rural members, BCBS Alabama asked an important question and found an answer.

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Article October 16, 2018

Blue Cross of Idaho shows a neurosurgeon how to lower costs without hurting quality

For a quarter century, Dr. Timothy Johans had been practicing in some of Idaho’s largest hospitals. He paid special attention to...

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Healthcare worker visiting the home of a patient

Podcast September 26, 2018

Member voices: It took a team to bring healthcare home

A nightmare began for Pennsylvania’s Pat Litonenko when her immune system stopped working. Listen to her story of how a pharmacist at her health plan, Highmark BlueCross BlueShield, reviewed her case and found an opportunity to help Pat live better.

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Video March 20, 2018

Rick Schum on being involved in the community

Rick Schum, president and chief executive officer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Wyoming, discusses the different needs of being...

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Video January 23, 2018

I. Steven Udvarhelyi on establishing incentives for providers

I. Steven Udvarhelyi, president and chief executive officer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, talks about the health...

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Video January 16, 2018

Curtis Barnett on having a personal connection to healthcare

Curtis Barnett, president and chief executive officer of Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, talks about improving the consumer...

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Video October 10, 2017

Daniel J. Loepp on healthcare being a uniquely personal experience

Daniel J. Loepp, president and chief executive officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, talks about local health and...

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Report March 29, 2017

Link exists between a population’s health and a growing economy, higher incomes and lower unemployment

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association released the second edition of a Moody’s Analytics report that finds a direct link between…

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Report March 20, 2016

Newly enrolled members in the individual health insurance market after health care reform: The experience from 2014 and 2015

Executive Summary The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expanded access to health insurance for millions of Americans and broadened…

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Report February 24, 2016

How consumers are saving with the shift to outpatient care

The Rise of “Shoppable” Surgical Interventions Recent years have seen a rapid increase in selected outpatient medical services,…

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Article January 19, 2016

Three ways the Affordable Care Act marketplaces have evolved for consumers

Since long before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces opened to the public in October 2013, insurers have been working to...

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Report January 13, 2016

The evolving Affordable Care Act marketplaces: The 2015 to 2016 transition

Introduction With the Affordable Care Act (ACA) now in its third open enrollment period, insurance carriers are applying more…

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Two doctors discussing their diagnosis with a patient

Report July 16, 2015

A study of cost variation for percutaneous coronary interventions (angioplasties) in the U.S.

Cost Variations in Cardiac Care: Overview Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States,…

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Article January 21, 2015

Report finds significant cost variations in knee and hip replacement procedures across the U.S.

Today’s healthcare consumers have an increasing thirst for information that will empower them to make informed decisions about...

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Doctor administering physical therapy on a patient's knee

Report January 21, 2015

A study of cost variations for knee and hip replacement surgeries in the U.S.

The Extreme Cost Variation in Healthcare Today consumers are seeking to make more decisions on their healthcare needs based on…

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Article December 9, 2014

Massachusetts AQC model shows positive results

The world of healthcare is a hotbed for innovation. Every day, leading minds from across the industry work to improve the quality...

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Article December 2, 2014

Collaborating to transform healthcare: Higher quality and patient satisfaction at lower cost

The next time somebody asks me what Regence BlueCross BlueShield and Regence BlueShield are doing to improve quality of care and...

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Article November 10, 2014

How data and quality can help heal the healthcare system

When physicians take the Hippocratic Oath before they begin to practice medicine, they vow to treat patients with care. It is...

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Article August 6, 2014

Three things to know to become a pharmacy pro

There are hundreds of reasons you might find yourself walking up to the window at a pharmacy. Maybe you have a child with strep...

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Article May 7, 2014

Creating access to care for women and girls, from Wyoming to Detroit

When it comes to healthcare, women require a unique set of services. Women’s health needs vary widely from that of their male...

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