Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois Teams Up With ACCESS' HealthCura

CHICAGO, Nov. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) announced today that it has entered into an agreement with HealthCura, an Illinois Accountable Care Entity established in Illinois in 2014. HealthCura is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Access Community Health Network (ACCESS), one of the nation's largest networks of federally-qualified health centers. The parties expect that as of December 1, 2015, HealthCura's membership will become Blue Cross Blue Community® members and enjoy the administrative and care coordination expertise of the state's largest health insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, a member-owned health plan founded in Chicago in 1936 that remains headquartered in the city.

"Agreements such as this serve both the taxpayers and patients," said Felicia Norwood, Director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services. "It is part of the fiscally sustainable way Illinois is providing quality care for its vulnerable citizens."

"We are very excited to offer our members this opportunity as Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is firmly aligned with our vision for how to best care for and improve the health outcomes of our patient population," said ACCESS CEO Donna Thompson.  "In addition, given our deep learnings as one of the state's top Medicaid primary providers, ACCESS will continue to oversee the care coordination for all HealthCura members, which will allow ACCESS to further reap the benefits of our deep investment in technology and the development of our care coordination model to continue to focus on what we do best – deliver quality care to our patients."

Karen Brach, Blue Cross's vice president for Illinois Medicaid plans added, "We see this agreement as an opportunity to work with an outstanding example of successful Medicaid managed care. HealthCura's more than 44,000 members will now have access to an expanded network of doctors and hospitals and the security that comes with carrying a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois member card."

Brach added that she and her ACCESS counterparts are confident that the arrangement will strengthen both organizations' long-standing commitments to Chicago area communities and their residents.

About Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL)
With over 8 million members, BCBSIL, a division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, is the largest health insurance company in Illinois. Begun in 1936 in Chicago, BCBSIL remains member owned rather than publicly traded, and is committed to promoting the health and wellness of its members and its communities, fostering greater access to care, and working to lower the overall cost of care while improving care quality and patient outcomes. For more information, visit: www.bcbsil.com

About Access Community Health Network
Designated as a Level 3 patient-centered medical home by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), ACCESS offers patient-centered, preventive and primary care services to more than 176,000 patients annually.  Through its investment in technology to further improve patient care and engagement, ACCESS has also been recognized by HIMMS at Stage 6 for its adoption of its electronic health record. With 35 Joint Commission-accredited community health centers located throughout Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, ACCESS is also one of the largest networks of community health centers in the nation.  For more information, visit: www.achn.net.

SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois

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http://www.bcbsil.com