Anthem Blue Cross 2005 Annual Report Download - page 16

WellPoint, Inc. 2005 Summary Annual Report
14
If health care spending continues to
rise at the current rate, it will double in
10 years — to more than $12,000 annually
for every single American (see page 17).
Rising costs are driving up health care
premiums for families and businesses at
a rate that is simply unsustainable.
WellPoint is working to make quality
health care more affordable — through
collaborative programs that improve
health care quality and reduce costs,
initiatives to manage the cost of care our
members receive, and a full range of
services and support.
improving quality, reducing costs
Consumers don’t have to sacrifice quality
to hold down the cost of health care.
WellPoint believes that quality care can
actually cost less — as we improve the
effectiveness of treatment and reduce
medical errors. Our company has a long
record of partnerships with physicians
and hospitals on quality incentives.
We work with primary care and
specialty care physicians to develop
programs that reward improvement in
areas such as clinical outcomes, adoption
of evidence-based medical procedures and
patient satisfaction. In 2005, for example,
Blue Cross of California provided incen-
tive payments to 196 physician groups
based on its HMO Quality Scorecard. The
awards totaled $72 million, a 27 percent
increase over the previous year.
We also collaborate in developing
programs that reward hospitals for
improving quality, safety and satisfaction.
In 2005, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue
Shield in Connecticut, Maine and New
Hampshire introduced the Quality Insights
Hospital Incentive Program (Q-HIP) to
Northeast hospitals that serve 2.7 mil-
lion Anthem members. The program is
patterned after the Q-HIP in Virginia,
which was featured in our 2004 summary
annual report.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio was
recognized in 2005 for its Hospital Quality
Program. This pioneering program, which
was launched more than a decade ago and
now includes 357 hospitals in the three
states, won a prestigious BlueWorks award
from Harvard Medical School and the
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
Another way we promote quality care
is to identify hospitals which meet or
leadership in affordable quality care
If the cost of coverage keeps going up, how can
I afford health care for my family?