Capital BlueCross Named as URAC Award Finalist for Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection

HARRISBURG, Pa., July 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital BlueCross was selected as one of 30 finalists for the Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection Awards. URAC, the nation's leading accreditation organization, will honor the finalists during their 11th Annual Quality Summit, Oct. 5-7, 2010 in Chicago, IL.

Capital BlueCross' program was selected by a distinguished panel of judges out of entries from across the nation. Finalists are invited to present their winning programs at the Annual Quality Summit which will showcase best practices in two categories: Consumer Decision-Making and Consumer Health Improvement.

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 Blue Cross 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.

"Our pilot Medication Reconciliation program was initiated on a small scale due to unknown potential barriers that other organizations had experienced in similar programs," said Dr. Jennifer Chambers, Capital BlueCross medical director. "After completing our pilot program, a full program is under development. The pilot demonstrated the effectiveness of a Medication Reconciliation program. It works."

Entries were judged by a distinguished panel chaired by epidemiologist Thomas W. Wilson, Ph.D., DrPH, Trajectory HealthCare, LLC. The 30-member panel included the best and most widely 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.

"The Annual Quality Summit provides a unique opportunity for leaders in health care to learn what premier companies are doing to advance consumer protection and empowerment," said Alan P. Spielman, President and CEO of URAC. "It is a one-of-a-kind conference, designed to inspire the industry as a whole to rapidly adopt proven practices that advance patient safety and empower consumers with improved decision-making tools."

All finalists are invited to attend a special event during the conference, when they will discover how they will be distinguished as award winners. Gold, Silver, Bronze and Honorable Mention Award winners in each of the six organization categories will be announced at the dinner. Platinum Award winners will also be announced, in the two topic categories.

For complete conference details and to register for URAC's 11th Annual Quality Summit, Oct. 5-7, 2010 in Chicago, IL, go to http://www.urac.org/accreditationEducation/11thAnnualSummit.asp. To see a complete list of judges, go to http://www.urac.org/accreditationEducation/11thSummitjudges.asp.

Capital BlueCross is the leading health insurer in its region, providing health insurance coverage to nearly one million people 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.

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.

SOURCE Capital BlueCross