Blue Cross Blue Shield Plan News Roundup: November 2023

The following Blue Cross Blue Shield announcements are just a few of the company activities from this month.  

AMI offers continuing market research services to clients on Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans as well as publishing an annual Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans Report that provides comprehensive profiles on each of the 34 BSBS plans as well as the BCBSA organization.

 

Wellstar Health System and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield have reached a multi-year agreement providing Anthem members with continued access to affordable, high-quality care at all 11 Wellstar hospitals, more than 325 medical offices, 35 imaging centers, 11 cancer centers, 91 rehab centers, 18 urgent cares, nine pediatric centers and five health parks. There are more than 3,900 medical staff members and 30,000 Wellstar team members serving people throughout Georgia. The four-year agreement impacts over 350,000 Georgia Anthem members in the metro-Atlanta area and throughout north and middle Georgia.

 

With connected pharmacy and medical benefits, teams at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma are better able to help members achieve their best health. BCBSOK’s pharmacists identify when members haven’t picked up prescriptions, aren’t taking medications as prescribed or not refilling prescriptions on time. They also look for opportunities to help lower members’ prescription costs and keep them healthier. Connected benefits allow for real-time medical, behavioral health and pharmacy data analysis to help maximize management of chronic conditions, close care gaps and monitor prescription use and potential interactions.

 

Ballad Health and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BlueCross) announced they have reached a new multi-year agreement that will enable members in northeast Tennessee to continue receiving in-network care with Ballad Health’s providers after Dec. 31. With the new agreement, BlueCross and Ballad Health will move forward in serving members and patients, providing peace of mind to people throughout the region. The three-year deal, which is subject to regulatory review, covers all Ballad Health facilities and affiliated providers for all BlueCross plans including BlueCare Tennessee and Medicare Advantage.

 

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BlueCross) has partnered with Centerstone, a nonprofit health system specializing in mental health and substance use disorder services, on a yearlong pilot designed to support high-quality, cost-effective outpatient mental health resources and treatment. Centerstone’s middle and southeast Tennessee mental health facilities will participate in the program, which begins Jan. 1 and will focus on BlueCross members who are covered by an employer-sponsored plan or an individual plan.

 

Mahmee, a maternal health care technology company on a mission to make the U.S. the best place in the world to give birth, announced its services will be available to more Blue Shield of California members. As part of Blue Shield’s Maternal Child Health Equity Initiative, the nonprofit health plan has been working with Mahmee to provide a test program for members to receive access to holistic, comprehensive, and always-on maternal health services. With Mahmee, eligible Blue Shield members have access to a support team including doulas, nurses, lactation consultants, mental health coaches, nutritionists, and care coordinators who are all available every day of the week. Now, the program is expanding from its regional test in Fresno, Los Angeles, and Sacramento to eight employer groups, including Blue Shield of California employees.

 

Empire BlueCross BlueShield and Stony Brook Medicine have renewed a new multi-year agreement with the health system’s four hospitals, facilities, and providers in Empire’s network. The new agreement applies to Empire BlueCross BlueShield members enrolled in commercial and Medicare Advantage plans.

 

Trustmark Health Benefits is now Luminare Health,  following its acquisition in October 2022 by Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC). Luminare Health is a third-party administrator that designs and administers custom health plans for self- funded employers that help manage costs through innovative solutions, information transparency, and member-centric support. Luminare Health also supports clients’ strategic growth goals through white-labeled benefits administration solutions for insurance carriers, brokers, health systems, and plan sponsors.

 

Allegheny Health Network and Highmark Health announced the launch of a new virtual intensive care solution which combines innovative telehealth technology and the clinical expertise of AHN intensivists for centralized, 24/7 monitoring and management of critically ill patients at six of the network’s hospitals across western Pennsylvania. The TeleICU program virtually connects a centrally located team of AHN board-certified critical care physicians, nurses and data assistants with bedside hospitalists and nurses in intensive care units (ICUs) at AHN’s Allegheny Valley Hospital, Canonsburg Hospital, Grove City Hospital, Jefferson Hospital and Wexford Hospital in the Greater Pittsburgh region, and Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie, Pa.

 

Highmark Health Options of West Virginia (HHOWV), a subsidiary of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia (Highmark), and West Virginia University (WVU) Health System have signed a new, multi-year network provider contract in anticipation of HHOWV’s participation in the West Virginia Medicaid program. Earlier this year, Highmark announced its intention to apply for entry into the West Virginia Medicaid market in 2024. WVU Health System’s participation with HHOWV would include both Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).