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Saturday, April 7, 2012

Health Insurance Blog - Florida Blue: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Changing Name

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Florida Blue: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Changing Name
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Florida Blue: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Changing Name

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida has simplified their name to Florida Blue in their new rebranding campaign for 2012. Mark Lee, vice president of brand development for the company, talks about how this decision was considered carefully. A lot of research was done and much thought went into making this important decision.

Florida Blue is Florida’s largest insurer and the name change may cause some confusion in the beginning of the rollout. With 4 million members, Florida Blue is working hard to get the word out. The company has been in Florida for almost 70 years making it part of the Florida culture. The name change was implemented in an effort for the insurer to be more consumer friendly and attract a wider base of consumers.

According to the article by Marni Jameson from the Orlando Sentinel, Florida Blue retail centers are already throughout the state connecting with members in the community. The friendlier name appeals to a wider base of customers and is reaching more retail consumers. BlueCross Blue Shield of Florida will still exist as a legal entity, but consumers will have a new name to relate to. It won’t be surprising if Florida Blue members meet a bit of confusion as the name and logo of their insurer switches, but they are to be assured quality health insurance products and top notch customer service is still a top priority.

Written by Sam Tabes

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Thursday, April 5, 2012

Health Insurance Blog - Geisinger Health Plan Reduces Readmissions by 44%

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Geisinger Health Plan Reduces Readmissions by 44%

Geisinger Health Plan has worked hard to reduce their readmissions rate and they recently succeeded through their innovative monitoring program. The company recently announced that their remote monitoring program which uses interactive voice response (IVR) and other telemonitoring aspects to help case managers decreased hospital readmissions by an impressive 44%. Geisinger Health Plan members could see an overall change in care after discharge based on these results.

The Geisinger Monitoring Program (GMP) has proven to be productive as it uses a range of technologies for remote monitoring. Telehealth AMC Health designed this system to increase the number of interactions patients have with care-givers after they are discharged from the hospital according to Chris Anderson’s article found on HealthCareFinanceNews.com. The program was designed for two years to see if the use of IVR technology for some of the Geisinger Health Plan patients would decrease readmissions when compared to patients not receiving this additional care.

Joanna Sciandra, RN, BSN, director of case management and strategic planning with Geisinger Health Plan, points out that readmissions mostly happen within a week or two of being released from the hospital. She’s encouraged that having some more interaction with the patient after discharge is proving to be an extremely valuable tool. She says that from a case management standpoint, complex patients often times need that additional care. A 44% drop in readmissions shows that the system works and could be implemented on a more permanent basis. Money-saving patient interaction is a key aspect in bringing down health-care costs, but keeping the quality of care at an acceptable level.

Written by Sam Tabes

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