Anthem Blue Cross 2002 Annual Report Download - page 24

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20
Engaging physicians collaboratively is proving to be better for them,
better for our members, and better for us.”
“
Thomas Snead
President
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Southeast Region
This same spirit of collaboration drove local programs throughout Anthem’s health plans:
•We initiated collaborative efforts with hospitals and physicians in New England that emphasize
information sharing designed to improve patient care.
•In Virginia, we added two new physician advisory panels. Through regional steering committees,
physicians in six medical specialties engage our health care management staff in dialogue focused on
delivering quality care while at the same time maintaining an understanding of cost-effectiveness.
•Throughout the country we increased our outreach to local medical and specialty societies to
discuss health care issues that affect our members.
We are proud that the NCQA awarded the coveted “Excellent” rating to our health plans
in Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Ohio and Virginia. In addition, our
Connecticut, Maine and New Hampshire health plans ranked in the top 15 in the nation on
the NCQA’s HEDIS威Effectiveness of Care measures, which track health plan performance on
key public health concerns such as cancer, heart disease, smoking, asthma and diabetes.
Throughout our regions, we continued to focus on innovative disease management and
preventive care programs. Our subsidiary, Health Management Corporation, acquired as a part
of Trigon, has built a reputation for its nationally acclaimed disease management initiatives.
During 2002, new “advanced” or “proactive” care management programs—which identify
members who require special assistance in dealing with significant health issues—made
a difference for members in Indiana, Northern Ohio and our New England states. We will
continue to focus on and expand these programs across Anthem during 2003.
Also helping improve access to quality care and prevent unintended medical errors is
Anthem IRIS威(Interactive Real Time Information Sharing). By analyzing a variety of claims
and pharmacy benefit data, IRIS威can identify possible opportunities for improved care that
can then be shared with members and their physicians. For example, IRIS威allows for real-time
intervention by detecting prescribed drug therapies that may inadvertently conflict with other
drugs being administered to a patient.