BCBSNC Constructing 100,000-Square-Foot ‘Green’ Building

Chapel Hill, N.C. (April 16, 2008) – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) on 4-16-08 broke ground on an environmentally friendly building that will use 65 percent less energy and half the water per square foot of the company’s traditional office space. The five-story building, which will include a six-level parking deck, is being built across the street from the company’s Customer Service Center on Ivy Creek Blvd in Durham. The energy savings will be enough to power about 100 typical households(1). The amount of water saved will be enough to supply more than 10 local homes(2).
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BCBSNC Doubles The Number Of Providers Using Electronic Prescribing
More Than 87 Percent Of North Carolina Pharmacies Use Eprescribe
 

Chapel Hill – More North Carolinians will benefit from increased prescription accuracy and safety because of the growing popularity of ePrescribe, a statewide electronic prescribing initiative of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.

The latest ePrescribe results show the number of doctors using electronic prescriptions in the last quarter has now doubled to more than 2,000. In addition, more than 87 percent of North Carolina pharmacies now use electronic prescribing to meet customers’ prescriptions needs. 

“Our results show steady growth and adoption of electronic prescribing for both North Carolina physicians and pharmacies,” said Dr. Ron Smith, BCBSNC vice president of Employer Health and Corporate Pharmacy. “This is good news for patients. ePrescribe puts patients’ medical and drug histories at physicians’ fingertips, so they can see at-a-glance any possible drug interactions. They also can see the patient’s health plan formulary and can discuss the cost implications of various drug choices while their patient is in the office.”

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Breast cancer is a malignant (cancerous) tumor that starts from cells of the breast. The disease occurs mostly in women, but men can get breast cancer as well. The information referenced in this post only pertains to breast cancer in women.   A woman’s breast is made up of glands that make breast milk (lobules), ducts (small tubes that connect lobules to the nipple), fatty and connective tissue, blood vessels, and lymph (pronounced limf) vessels. Most breast cancers begin in the ducts (ductal carcinoma), some begin in the lobules (lobular carcinoma), and the rest in other tissues. 
 
The American Cancer Society breast cancer screening guidelines are for women at average risk for cancer (unless otherwise specified) and without any specific symptoms.  Mammograms are used to uncover early signs of breast cancer.  A mammogram is a special type of X-ray of the breasts. Mammograms can show tumors long before they are big enough for you or your health care provider to feel. Mammograms are quick and easy. You stand in front of an X-ray machine. The person who takes the X-rays places your breast between two plastic plates. The plates press your breast and make it flat. This may be uncomfortable, but it helps get a clear picture. You will have an X-ray of each breast. A mammogram takes only a few seconds and it can help save your life. 
 
The American Cancer Society’s recommendations are for yearly mammograms starting at age 40 and continuing for as long as a woman is in good health.  Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina’s Blue Advantage Plan covers screening mammograms beginning at age 35 along with the doctor’s interpretation of the results.  More frequent or earlier mammograms will be covered as recommended by a doctor when a female member is considered at risk for breast cancer.  A member is at risk if she has a personal history of breast cancer;  has a personal history of biopsy-proven benign breast disease;  has a mother, sister or daughter who has or has had breast cancer;  has not given birth before the age of 30.  
 
Content of this article from American Cancer Society and Medline Plus
As of the date of this article, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina covers mammograms one of two ways:  They are covered 100% if done for screening/prevention purposes (by themselves with no other service done in conjunction).  However, if done in conjunction with a surgery, they will be subject to your deductible.

For more information on health insurance coverage in North Carolina, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our qualified agents.  Our agency provides coverage for health insurance in North Carolina through Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC).  You may qualify for a 15% healthy lifestyle discount if you are in excellent health.  Call us for details.

The following article is from The North Carolina Medical Society and was posted on their website http://www.ncmsfoundation.org/.

NCMS Foundation Receives Mult-Million Dollar Grant to Improve Access to Care!

Hundreds of thousands of residents in rural and economically distressed areas of North Carolina would get access to primary medical care, and the uninsured in those areas are expected to receive $50 million worth of medical care, under a joint effort by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation (BCBSNC Foundation) and the North Carolina Medical Society Foundation (NCMS Foundation).The BCBSNC Foundation today announced a five-year grant to the Community Practitioner Program (CPP) of the NCMS Foundation.

CPP pays up to half the medical education debt of physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners who agree to serve at least five years in a community designated as rural, economically distressed or having a shortage of health care professionals.

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There is a new look to oranges at your local produce department!  Cutie is a delectable, hybrid child of a sweet orange crossed with a Chinese Mandarin.  They are the perfect child-friendly size, seedless and easy to peel!  No poking and picking before popping it in your mouth.  Moms and Dads are always searching for a nutritional, wholesome and healthy snack!  Cuties might just be your child’s new favorite on-the-go snack.

Good nutritional habits begin early and by example.  Reward yourself and your child by leading that example and exposing them to healthy choices.  These choices could pay off for your entire family’s health and wallet.  Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina rewards good health as well through their Blue Points reward program and their 15% healthy discount.

For more information on health insurance coverage in North Carolina, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our qualified agents.  Our agency provides coverage for health insurance in North Carolina through Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC).  You may qualify for a 15% healthy lifestyle discount if you are in excellent health.  Call us for details.

Approximately 50 percent of people who suffer from chronic health conditions do not take their medications as directed. 1 Studies show that failure to take medications as prescribed results in the loss of approximately 125,000 lives a year from cardiovascular disease alone. 2
Medication DedicationSM, a new program from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC), is designed to help members with specific chronic conditions avoid the risks involved with not taking their medications as prescribed by removing cost barriers often associated with prescription medications.

Q: What is Medication Dedication?
It’s a new medication adherence program from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) designed to help members with specific chronic conditions take their medications as prescribed by their health care provider. Since cost can be a significant barrier to taking medications as directed, BCBSNC is waiving the copayment for generic medications that treat the following conditions: congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. BCBSNC is also moving certain brand-name drugs that treat those same conditions to a lower drug level tier to make them more affordable.
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With Health Line Blue , the answers to questions about your health are just a phone call or click away. It’s like having your own personal nurse.
BCBSNC’s trained nurses can assist you over the phone. Call toll free 1-877-477-2424.

It’s health information at your fingertips.  Health Line Blue also provides you with access to the Dialog Center, an online resource that can help you get current information on health conditions, diseases and more.

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IS ANYTHING BEING DONE? YES!

The problem of uninsured Americans – North Carolinians specifically –
has been decades in the making. But some initiatives are making significant differences now. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has taken steps to make health care more accessible and affordable for everyone by:
• Working with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association to cut fraud, waste and abuse – saving subscribers more than $240 million nationally in 2004 alone.* BCBSNC efforts reduced fraud, waste and abuse by nearly $10 million within the state in 2006.**
• Making the cost of prescription drugs more affordable by providing incentives to customers to use generic drugs, and piloting programs such as electronic prescribing.
• Showing real results in helping members make good choices about activity and nutrition, and manage their chronic conditions through our Member Health PartnershipsSM. This program helps them save money and avoid illness down the road.
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BCBSNC Sheds Light on Medical Costs

Insurer Publishes Typical Costs for Hundreds of Visits, Procedures and Diseases

Chapel Hill, N.C. (Jan. 17, 2008) – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) is taking some of the mystery out of health care costs. BCBSNC, the state’s largest health insurer, is publishing online the average prices it pays statewide for physician office visits, diagnostic procedures and screenings, prescription drugs, and disease treatments. The Health Cost Estimator, now available to members at bcbsnc.com, includes one of the most comprehensive listings of total average costs related to diseases and conditions of any health insurance plan. Along with its effort to promote health cost clarity for its members, BCBSNC supports initiatives to increase the quality, safety and effectiveness of health care.

“Our Health Cost Estimator will give our customers a much clearer idea of where their health care dollar goes because the prices we pay translate to the premiums that customers pay.” said BCBSNC President and CEO Bob Greczyn. “Consumers are paying an increasing share of health care costs, but until now they’ve had little way of knowing what medical services actually cost.”

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Who they are. What they face.Yes, the uninsured are the poor, the homeless, the less fortunate. But they’re also your neighbors across the street. Your child’s best friend at school. The small business owner who waves from her shop every morning. They are every race, religion, ethnicity and creed.
The 15.6 percent* of North Carolinians – that’s 1.3 million of the state’s residents – without health coverage come from every socioeconomic class, every level of education and every region of this diverse state. There is no one “face” of North Carolina’s uninsured. There are many faces – perhaps more than you ever imagined. But the challenges they’re dealt are very similar – such as greater risk fordeveloping debilitating illnesses, an increased number of hospital stays and significantly reduced (more…)

THE INVINCIBLES

They’re young. They’re just starting out. They’re often paid lower wages. And, in some cases, they can’t imagine themselves as sick or helpless. They’re used to being covered on their parents’ plans, but they’ve reached the age when they’re no longer eligible for dependent coverage.  Whatever the reason, those from 18 to 34 comprise the group that’s most likely not to have health insurance coverage.* As a result, preventive care is neglected, routine checkups are delayed, and needless financial and physical suffering is experienced (more…)

Facts

The impact of being uninsured*
• The uninsured have a 25 percent greater chance of
premature death.
• Nationally, there are 18,000 avoidable deaths annually among
the non-elderly due to lack of health insurance coverage.
• Uninsured women suffering from breast cancer have a 30-50
percent greater risk of death than those who are insured.
• Low-income uninsured.**
– 4.5 times more likely to have diabetes
– 30 percent more likely to have high blood pressure
– 50 percent more likely to have high cholesterol
– Almost twice as likely to have fair or poor health
Help for the “uninsurable”
• BCBSNC estimated in 2006 that a high-risk pool in North Carolina
could cover 9,000 “medically uninsurable” citizens, requiring
a subsidy of approximately $40 million a year.*
• North Carolina legislators are considering creating a state high-risk pool with premiums for eligible individuals capped at 175 percent of individual standard rates.**

For more information on health insurance coverage in North Carolina, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our qualified agents.  Our agency provides coverage for health insurance in North Carolina through Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC).  You may qualify for a 15% healthy lifestyle discount if you are in excellent health.  Call us for details. 

BCBSNC data. 2006.
House Bill 265, 2007 Session of the N.C. General Assembly.
Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, ”Covering the Uninsured: Being Uninsured Has Adverse Health Consequences.” Fact Sheet. N.C. Task Force on Covering the Uninsured. April 2006.
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. 2003.