Press Releases

BLUE SHIELD OF CALIFORNIA WINS TWO NATIONAL PLAN AWARDS

Blue Shield Is recognized as the First Health Plan in the Nation to Provide Online Communication Between Physicians and Patients, and Is Honored for Its Creative Use of Information Technology

San Francisco , CA, October 23, 2001 -- Blue Shield of California recently received two Best of Blue awards from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, recognizing the not-for-profit organization's leadership in e-healthcare practices and system processes.

"It is a great honor to receive this level of recognition," said Jeffrey Rideout, M.D., senior vice-president and chief medical officer of Blue Shield of California. "Blue Shield is committed to providing all Californians with affordable, cutting-edge health practices, and our Healinx™ service and Patient Highlight program are examples of our dedication to quality service."

Blue Shield's Healinx™ Physician/Patient Online Communication Service was honored in the Innovations in e-healthcare category, recognizing Blue Shield as the first health plan in the nation to provide a comprehensive, secure online communication link between doctors and patients. Provided by Healinx Corporation, Blue Shield's Healinx service offers patients and doctors secure messaging and webVisit™ features. A webVisit® is an online, non-urgent consultation between a doctor and an established patient that guides patients through an interactive questioning process."

In addition to the webVisit® feature, Healinx allows patients to schedule appointments, request prescriptions and renewals, request referrals to specialists, engage in consultation, review self-care information, receive preventive care reminders and access their medical profile online. The Healinx secure communication service incorporates state-of-the-art security and privacy, and is fully compliant with healthcare industry guidelines.

The second award, in the System Process category, honored Blue Shield's Patient Highlight program that uses computer algorithms developed by Resolution Health Inc., based on well-accepted clinical practice guidelines.

The Patient Highlight program identifies discrepancies between actual practices and those recommended in evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, and sends physicians a patient-specific message regarding alternative opportunities to improve quality of care. The physician is then able to place this "sticky note" as a reminder in the patient's chart. The ultimate goal of this pilot program is to reduce incidence of "medical errors of omission and commission," resulting in reduced mortality associated with common chronic conditions.

Intensive data validation was conducted following the implementation of the Physician Highlight program, and initial physician feedback supports the program's intent and vision. The majority of respondents rated the program favorably.

The National Awards Program for Innovations and Best Practices in Medical and Pharmacy Management showcases the best-of-the-best from throughout the 44 Member Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans. Submissions for the National Awards are evaluated by an external jury of health industry experts based on a formal evaluation of each program. These industry experts include consultants, governmental agencies, employers, consumer advocates and academic researchers.

About Blue Shield of California
 Founded in 1939, Blue Shield of California is one of the state's leading healthcare companies. Headquartered in San Francisco, the nonprofit corporation has nearly 2.3 million members, 3,700 employees and more than 20 office locations throughout California. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.mylifepath.com.

About Healinx
Healinx Corporation is the premier provider of Web-based, doctor-patient communication services. The Healinx service enables secure, clinically structured, and auditable communications between doctors and patients. Healinx helps doctors address their need to recoup income while providing efficient, secure online services to their patients. At the same time, Healinx offers patients convenience and access -- the convenience of communicating directly with their doctors at anytime from anyplace. By streamlining the doctor-patient relationship, Healinx enables payors to improve member satisfaction and retention and reduce their exposure to rising health care costs. For information, visit www.relayhealth.com.