Blues make news with use of IT

Health Management Technology, Feb, 2005

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina recently added a hospital comparison tool on the plan's member Web site to help consumers research hospitals anywhere in the U.S. and decide which hospital best suits their needs. It also is launching a new group health savings account product with Mellon Financial Corp.'s Human Resources & Investor Solutions business for North Carolina employers and plans to introduce a similar product for individuals this year.

Farther west, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has developed an alternative ID number system for all individual and group members. The plan says it devised numbers that were unique enough to fit into their system and, at the same time, comply with HIPAA. The conversion to the unique identifier took a year and cost an estimated $4 million.