Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Introduces Clear Claim Connection for Network Providers.

Business Editors

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 3, 2004

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia (BCBSGa) today announced the launching of Clear Claim Connection, a new on-line product and service for use by its network providers. This product, created by McKesson Corporation, enables BCBSGa to share with network providers the auditing rules and clinical rationale which exist in the claims billing and auditing code system used by BCBSGa.

John Watts, president and chief executive officer of BCBSGa, said, "This important service will enable network physicians and their office staffs to review our payment methodology online. By providing this service, we hope to make our reimbursement policies more readily accessible and reduce misunderstandings among providers, members and BCBSGa."

"In addition, BCBSGa thanks the leadership and involvement of Georgia Department of Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner, John Oxendine, for his important leadership in working with the health plan industry and provider organizations to bring about this important announcement and its implementation," Watts stated.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia's Clear Claim Connection:

-- is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on the BCBSGA web

site. Go to www.bcbsga.com log on to Provider Access and

select the Clear Claim Connection option on the main menu;

-- provides an immediate response to provider inquiries;

-- discloses clinically based information along with documented

source information of our auditing rules and clinical

rationale;

-- enables providers to pre-screen a claim or review the

rationale for a claim denial.

For procedures and CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) codes requiring review or denial, the system will display the clarification of the edit or denial.

Clear Claim Connection sources include, among others: the American Medical Association Current Procedural Terminology, the CPT Assistant, the CPT Coding Symposium, Specialty Society Coding Guidelines and Medicare Guidelines.

Provider offices that do not currently use Provider Access may obtain logon credentials by going to www.bcbsga.com, and selecting Request Access on the home page.

If they prefer to receive auditing rules and clinical rationale information for specific claims or specific coding scenarios via U.S. mail, providers may contact Customer Service at 1-800-241-7475.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia serves more than 3.1 million medical members and is the oldest and largest health benefits company in Georgia. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia is an operating subsidiary of WellPoint Health Networks Inc., the nation's second largest publicly traded health care company serving the health care needs of more than 15.3 million medical members and approximately 46 million specialty members nationally. WellPoint offers a broad spectrum of quality network-based health products including open access PPO, POS and hybrid products, HMO and specialty products. Specialty products include pharmacy benefit management, dental, utilization management, vision, mental health, life and disability insurance, long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts, COBRA administration, and Medicare supplements. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia can be found on the web at www.bcbsga.com. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.