Anthem Blue Cross 2010 Annual Report Download - page 22

INTEGRATED RESEARCH NETWORK WellPoint is
working with physicians and other providers
through the Integrated Research Network® (IRN),
created by our subsidiary, HealthCore, to con-
duct research to improve the health of members
in our affiliated health plans. The IRN® will allow
for the merger of prospective data collected by
physicians and observational data derived from
medical and pharmacy claims to provide us
with more realistic information about the clinical
efficacy, cost-effectiveness and safety of medical
products and devices in different populations.
HealthCore intends to publish as many of the
IRN® studies as possible to share these results
with the health care community.
PATIENT SAFETY FIRST Providing access to
safe and effective health care requires collabo-
ration with our health care partners. Our
California health plan teamed with the state’s
three regional hospital associations and the
National Health Foundation to launch a three-
year, $6 million initiative aimed at improving the
quality of patient care in a cost-effective man-
ner. Patient Safety First…a California Partnership
for Health includes more than 150 hospitals and
over 1,600 clinical participants who have com-
mitted to share best practices in patient safety.
MYHEALTH ADVANTAGE Through proactive,
targeted messaging to members and physicians,
the MyHealth Advantage program is improving
quality and reducing the cost of care. Commercial
members who received MyHealth Advantage as
a component of their disease management pro-
gram were 41 percent more likely to receive care
compliant with clinical guidelines. This improved
care resulted in incremental cost-of-care savings
of $0.49 per member per month. Savings are
nearly twice as high in a senior population.
OUTCOMES-BASED FORMULARY Our outcomes-
based formulary uses “real world” data to make
formulary decisions for our members which are
intended to help improve clinical health out-
comes, quality of life, and productivity while
reducing overall pharmacy and medical costs.
Our researchers evaluate outcomes that matter
to patients by critically reviewing clinical trial
data, as well as data on how drugs perform after
use in broader populations. Our evaluation of
two drugs used to treat chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease showed that these drugs
resulted in fewer emergency room visits and
hospitalizations.
…to help improve health care QUALITY for our customers.
It takes
a Leader…
2 0 1 0 S U M M A R Y A N N U A L R E P O R T
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