Capital BlueCross Awarded Silver Honors for Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection from URAC

HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital BlueCross was awarded Silver honors for Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection by URAC, a leading health care accreditation organization. The honor was announced at a gala reception during the 2010 URAC Quality Summit and Awards Program in Chicago. This award recognizes achievements of organizations that are effectively advancing the role of consumers as active participants in health care through Consumer Health Improvement.

Capital BlueCross was honored for its Medication Reconciliation Referral Program. Hospital admissions and discharges can be stressful for everyone involved and it is very important that patients and their caregivers have the most accurate and up to date medication list during transition in care. That is why Capital BlueCross implemented a pilot Medication Reconciliation program for Medicare Advantage members.

Working with Capital BlueCross' pharmacy department and the  case management discharge outreach call program, members were contacted telephonically by a registered nurse to compare medications that they were taking prior to their hospitalization and at discharge to home. The goals of the program were to improve member understanding, patient safety, and continuity of care, while decreasing readmissions related to medication errors.

Initial results showed that there was a significant decrease in readmissions for the Medicare Advantage members who completed the program and member satisfaction with the nurse contact was very high.

Entries were judged by a distinguished 30-member panel of prestigious, independent judges including recognized experts in program evaluation, care coordination, health information technology, employer and purchaser decision making and patient safety. Entries were reviewed and scored by the judges based on objective criteria including whether the program was measurable, if it was reproducible and delivered through a collaborative approach. Honors were awarded in the categories of Consumer Decision-Making and Consumer Health Improvement.

"This year's Best Practice Awards winners are recognized for their leadership in driving innovation for the health care industry," said Alan P. Spielman, president and CEO of URAC. "These companies have made a difference in the lives of consumers by implementing leading-edge programs with results that matter."

"It is so important for a health insurance company to provide the type of services to its members that improve the quality of their life," said Bill Lehr, Capital BlueCross Chairman & CEO. "Receiving this Silver Award is confirmation that our company is focused on what is important and executes programs that produce positive outcomes."

About Capital BlueCross

Capital BlueCross is the leading health insurer in its region, providing health insurance coverage to residents in central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley.

Capital BlueCross is committed to making health insurance simple for its customers and members through all the stages of life by offering nationally acclaimed customer service and a full range of innovative benefit programs for groups and individuals at competitive prices. Capital BlueCross received a high honor for its service by ranking highest in Member Satisfaction among all commercial health plans in the Pennsylvania Region, according to the 2010 J.D. Power and Associates National Health Insurance Plan Study. J.D. Power and Associates.

By establishing a culture of caring, Capital BlueCross constantly strives to do more in order to deliver more for the men, women and children who depend on the company for their health insurance needs. Capital BlueCross has been providing health security to the people and communities of central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley for more than 70 years and employs about 2,000 people in the region. Headquartered in Harrisburg, Pa., Capital BlueCross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. More information about Capital BlueCross and its subsidiaries can be found by going to www.capbluecross.com.

About URAC

URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, is well-known as a leader in promoting health care quality through its accreditation, education and measurement programs. URAC offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and services that keep pace with the rapid changes in the health care system, and provide a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and accountability. Through its broad-based governance structure and an inclusive standards development process, URAC ensures that all stakeholders are represented in establishing meaningful quality measures for the entire health care industry. For more information, visit www.urac.org.

SOURCE Capital BlueCross

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