BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF MINNESOTA ADDS PHONE CARE BENEFIT TO SMALL AND MID-SIZE GROUP PORTFOLIO PRODUCTS.

EAGAN, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 15, 1996--Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (BCBSM) today announced that 24-hour nurse phone care is now available to all members enrolled in its fully-insured small-group and mid-sized portfolio health plans that feature the BlueChoice and Blue Plus networks. The service--will be included at no additional cost to members or groups--also is available to Minnesota residents who have coverage through Blue Plus prepaid MinnesotaCare, Prepaid Medical Assistance and General Assistance health plans. Blue Plus is the HMO affiliate of BCBSM.

The service, a BluePrints for Health program, provides health care and advice over the telephone for health care problems around the clock, seven days a week. The service is staffed by specially trained registered nurses. Based on the information gathered through the phone contact, patients are given care advice that could direct them to make an appointment with a physician, a visit to urgent care or the emergency room, or they are provided with appropriate self-care instructions. Nurses also follow-up with patients to assess their progress.

Some BCBSM groups were introduced to nurse phone care in a 1995 pilot program. That program proved to be so effective that BCBSM officials concluded it should be made available to a wider range of its groups this fall. In the pilot, more than 85 percent of the participants surveyed said that nurse phone care met or exceeded their expectations.

"We learned from the pilot program and other research that nurse phone care is something our customers want because it provides them with greater access to the health care system," said MaryAnn Stump, R.N., senior vice president for quality, outcomes and consumer education. "This service gives patients a new place of care by making available 24-hour access to health care professionals trained to respond to virtually any medical condition."

Research indicates that more than 70 percent of emergency room visits could be safely treated in physician's offices or at home.

The phone care system is based on algorithms--or "structured interviews"--based on physician-developed pathways, so the nurses can assess specific medical complaints. Based on the answer to each question in the interview, a working decision-tree is developed that determines the likely severity of the patient's condition and the appropriate priority and place of care.

By directing patients to the appropriate level of care at the time they need it, patients are treated sooner and health care costs are better controlled. The company projects that by May 1997, over 450,000 members will be eligible for the service.

BCBSM, based in Eagan, a suburb of St. Paul, Minn., covers more than 1.5 million people through its own health plans or plans that it administers. BCBSM, a leader in developing innovative relationships with hospitals and physicians, is Minnesota's oldest and largest health plan. The company began operations in 1933. BCBSM is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, headquartered in Chicago.

CONTACT: Greg Bury, 612/456-6850

Karl Oestreich, 612/456-1502

Judy Kerry, 612/456-1515