Blue Shield of California's Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plan Receives Four Star Rating for Fourth Consecutive Year

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Oct 14, 2014, 06:36 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Blue Shield of California's Medicare Advantage prescription drug plan has received a four-star quality award from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for the fourth year in a row.

CMS uses a five-star system to measure the quality and performance of Medicare health and prescription drug plans that relies on more than 50 metrics, including member health, management of chronic conditions, plan responsiveness, customer service, pricing and safety and pharmaceutical services. The rating system is revised every fall, with the value of stars subject to change each year.

Among Medicare Advantage plans sold in Blue Shield's service area, the company is among the few to consistently receive an above-average rating.

"We are honored to receive this designation for the fourth consecutive year. It reaffirms Blue Shield's ongoing commitment to quality health care for California's Medicare beneficiaries," said Cathy Campbell, vice president for senior markets. "We are dedicated to providing the highest levels of service and continue to look for ways to help our members improve their health and have high levels of satisfaction with the service we provide."

In addition to maintaining its four-star quality rating, Blue Shield continues to take steps to improve quality of care for its Medicare members:

Blue Shield has maintained a $0 plan premium in all 10 of its Medicare Advantage plans for 2015.
Blue Shield's Medicare Advantage provider network continues to grow and now includes UC San Diego Health System, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and many of its doctors in Los Angeles County, and Hoag Medical Group/Hoag Affiliated Physicians in Orange County.

Blue Shield of California is an HMO plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in Blue Shield of California depends on contract renewal. Medicare evaluates plans based on a 5-star rating system. Star Ratings are calculated each year and may change from one year to the next. More information on Blue Shield's Medicare plans is available at https://www.blueshieldca.com/sites/medicare/home.sp.

About Blue Shield of California
Blue Shield of California, an independent member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit health plan with 3.4 million members, 5,000 employees and $10.8 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 and headquartered in San Francisco, Blue Shield of California provides health, life, dental, vision, and Medicare insurance and health care service plans in California. Blue Shield of California was named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The company has contributed more than $325 million over the past ten years to the Blue Shield of California Foundation, one of BusinessWeek's most generous corporate foundations. Contact your local agent or broker about Blue Shield of California products and services, or visit www.blueshieldca.com.